. 


RANDO^J    RECOLLECTIONS 


HOUSE  OF  COMMONS, 


THE  YEAR  1830  TO  THE  CLOSE  OF  1835. 


INCLUDING 


PERSONAL  SKETCHES  OF  THE  LEADING  MEMBERS  OF  ALL  PARTIES. 


BY  ONE  OF  NO  PARTY. 


PHILADELPHIA : 

E.    L.    CAREY    &   A.    HART. 
1836. 


PREFACE. 


THE  author,  during  a  very  regular  attendance  in  the  House 
of  Commons  for  several  years  past,  has  been  in  the  habit  of 
taking  notes  of  what  was  most  interesting  in  the  proceedings, 
as  well  as  of  the  personal  and  oratorical  peculiarities  of  the 
leading  members. 

The  notes,  thus  taken  from  time  to  time,  have  accumulated 
to  a  size  sufficient  to  form  the  volume  now  presented  to  the 
public,  to  a  large  majority  of  whom  much  of  its  contents,  it  is 
presumed,  will  be  novel  and  interesting. 

In  his  descriptions  of  the  members  it  has  been  his  earnest 
desire  to  be  guided  by  the  strictest  impartiality;  and  he  trusts 
that  he  has  so  far  succeeded  in  his  object  as  to  betray  no  poli- 
tical bias  in  any  of  his  sketches. 

As  has  elsewhere,  in  the  volume,  been  remarked,  the  author 
has  selected  for  his  subjects  those  members  whose  names  are 
most  frequently  before  the  public.  Hence  it  necessarily  fol- 
lows, that  no  mention  is  made  of  many  members,  of  great 
weight  and  value  as  Legislators,  and  of  even  higher  talents 
than  several  who  are  noticed,  but  who  do  not  take  a  prominent 
art  in  the  proceedings  of  the  House. 


RANDOM  RECOLLECTIONS,  &c.  &c. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  HOUSE.  * 

I  SHALL  not  soon  forget  the  disappointment  which  I  expe- 
rienced on  the  first  sight  of  the  interior  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons.* I  had  indeed  been  told  that  it  but  ill  accorded  with 
the  dignity  of  what  has  been  termed  the  first  assembly  of  gen- 
tlemen in  the  world,  or  with  the  importance  of  the  subjects  on 
which  they  were  convened  to  legislate,  but  I  was  not  at  all 
prepared  for  such  a  place  as  I  then  beheld.  It  was  dark, 
gloomy  and  badly  ventilated,  and  so  small  that  not  more  than 
four  hundred  out  of  the  six  hundred  and  fifty-eight  members 
could  be  accommodated  in  it  with  any  measure  of  comfort. 
When  an  important  debate  occurred,  but  especially  when  that 
debate  was  preceded  by  a  call  of  the  House,  the  members  were 
really  to  be  pitied  ;  they  were  literally  crammed  together,  and 
the  heat  of  the  house  rendered  it  in  some  degree  a  second 
edition  of  the  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta.  On  either  side  there 
was  a  gallery,  every  corner  of  which  was  occupied  by  legisla- 
tors; and  many,  not  being  able  to  get  even  standing  room, 
were  obliged  to  lounge  in  the  refreshment  apartments  ad- 
joining St.  Stephen's  until  the  division, — when  they  rushed 
to  the  voting  room  in  as  much  haste  as  if  the  place  they  had 
quitted  had  been  on  fire. 

*  This  was  of  course  the  old  House  of  Commons.  The  new 
House  is  much  larger,  better  lighted,  and  in  every  respect  much 
more  comfortable  than  the  old  one;  but  what  is  said  regarding  the 
arrangement  of  seats,  the  places  of  members,  and  other  matters  of 
form,  applies  equally  to  the  old  and  new  houses. 
1* 


0  TUB  HOUSE. 

The  coiling,  the  side:?,  and  c>iulg  of  the  house  were  lined 
with  wainscot.  The  floor  was  covered  over  with  a  unit,  ami 
the  scats  uf  the  inrmhors  consisted  of  plain  lirnehes  well 
cushioned,  and  covered  with  leather.  From  the  floor  back- 
wards to  the  walls,  each  seat  was  from  twelve  to  fourteen 
inches  higher  than  the  one  fronting  it.  The  front  row  of 
benches  on  either  side  was  within  three  feet  of  the  table. 
The  row  on  the  right,  of  the  Speaker  was  invariably  occupied 
by  the  members  of  the  Government  and  their  most  influential 
supporters,  and  that  on  the  left  by  the  leading  individuals  in 
the  Opposition.  The  table  of  the  house  was  within  five  or  six 
feet  from  the  chair :  in  length  it  measured  six  feet,  and  in 
breadth,  four.  At  the  end  next  the  chair  sat  the  clerks  of  the 
House ;  and  when  the  members  were  in  committee,  on  which 
occasion  the  Speaker  vacated  the  chair,  the  Chairman  of  Com- 
mittees invariably  sat  at  the  corner  on  the  right  hand  of  the 
clerks.  The  Speaker's  chair  was  raised  twelve  or  fourteen 
inches  above  the  floor  of  the  house,  and  measured  nine  feet  in 
height.  In  form  it  somewhat  resembled  our  modern  easy 
chairs,  but  had  solid  sides,  and  was  covered  over  at  the  top.  It 
stood  a  few  feet  from  the  farthest  end  of  the  house,  which  was 
only  seven  or  eight  yards  from  the  Thames.  The  Speaker 
always  entered  by  a  door  exclusively  appropriated  to  himself  at 
the  end  of  the  house  next  the  river,  while  all  the  members 
entered  by  a  door  at  the  other  end,  in  a  straight  line  with  the 
chair.  Immediately  above  the  place  where  the  members  en- 
tered was  the  strangers'  gallery,  and  underneath  it  were  seve- 
ral rows  of  seats  for  friends  of  the  members.  To  these  seats 
there  was  no  mode  of  admission  except  that  of  being  taken  in 
by  one  of  the  members.  To  the  strangers'  gallery,  a  note 
or  order  from  a  member,  or  the  payment  of  half  a  crown  to 
the  door-keeper,  would  at  once  procure  admission.  At  the 
farthest  end  of  the  passage,  after  you  had  entered  the  house, 
were  several  rows  of  benches  which  extended  on  cither  side 
from  the  walls  to  the  passage.  The  other  seats  extended 
along  the  house,  and  hence  these  were  called  the  cross 
benches.  They  were  always  occupied  by  members  who  pro- 
fessed to  belong  to  no  party — to  be  neither  the  friends  nor 
opponents  of  Government,  but  who  stood  on  perfectly  neutral 
ground,  judging  of  measures  only  by  their  abstract  merits  or 
defects.  It  was  from  one  of  these  benches  that  Lord  Stanley 
(then  Mr.  Stanley)  made  his  celebrated  "  thimblerig"  speech, 
after  he,  Sir  James  Graham,  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  and  Lord 
Rippon  had  seceded  from  the  Administration  of  Earl  Grey. 


THE  HOrSE.  7 

I  have  already  mentioned,  that  the  members  of  Government, 
and  their  leading  friends,  occupy  the  first  row  of  benches  on 
the  right  hand  side  of  the  Speaker's  chair,  and  that  the  most 
influential  of  the  Opposition  occupy  the  first  row  on  the  left; 
the  other  supporters  of  each  party  range  themselves  on  the 
benches  behind  their  respective  leaders;  consequently  when 
there  is  a  change  of  Government,  the  quondam  ministry  and 
their  supporters  move  over  in  a  body  from  the  right  to  the  left 
side  of  the  house,  to  make  way  for  the  new  Administration  and 
their  friends.  There  are,  however,  a  few  members  belonging 
to  the  extreme  Radical  party  who  never  change  their  seats, 
whatever  ministry  may  be  in  power,  because  no  men  suffi- 
ciently liberal  for  them  have  ever  yet  been  in  office.  Among 
these  are  Hume,  Cobbett,*  Roebuck,  and  several  others.f 
Their  seats  are  therefore  always  on  the  Opposition  benches, 
and  when  the  Whigs  have  been  in  power,  the  circumstance 
has  often  led  to  strange  associations.  When  Sir  Charles 
Wetherell  and  the  late  Henry  Hunt,  men  whose  politics  were  ' 
wide  as  the  poles  asunder,  were  both  in  Parliament,  it  was  no 
uncommon  thing  to  see  them  sitting  in  close  juxta- position 
with  each  other,  often,  too,  engaged  in  most  earnest  conversa- 
tion together,  as  if  the  utmost  cordiality  and  the  most  perfect 
unanimity  of  political  feeling  existed  between  them.  In  the 
Reformed  Parliament  might  be  seen  Sir  Robert  Peel  and  Mr. 
Cobbett  sitting  cheek-by-jowl,  while  close  by  them  were  to  be 
found  Sir  Robert  Inglis,  the  great  advocate  of  the  Church  of 
England  and  ecclesiastical  establishments  in  general,  and  Mr. 
Gillon.  the  sworn  foe  of  both,  apparently  as  friendly  together 
as  if  of  one  heart  and  one  soul  in  such  matters. 

There  are  some  members  who  not  only  never  change  from 
one  side  of  the  house  to  the  other  whatever  alteration  may  take 
place  in  the  Ministry,  but  who  never  change  their  identical 
Beats ;  they  invariably  occupy  the  same  twelve  or  fourteen 
inches  of  space.  Mr.  Hume  is  one  of  the  most  noted  members 
in  this  respect ;  his  seat  in  the  old  house  was  close  to  one  of 
the  posts  which  supported  the  side  gallery  on  the  left  of  the 
Speaker's  chair ;  there  he  was  constantly  to  be  found.  There 
is  not,  nor  has  there  been  since  he  was  first  returned  to  par- 
lament,  a  single  member  whose  attendance  on  his  legislative 
duties  has  been  so  regular  and  close  as  that  of  Mr.  Hume  ;  the 

*  Since  this  was  written,  Mr.  Cobbett  has  died, 
t  Towards  the  end  of  last  session  several  of  the  Radical  members 
went  over  to  th^^ther  side  of  the  house. 


8  THF  IIOVSC. 

momont  the  doors  wore  opened  there  was  lie,  and  never  until 
the  adjournment  was  his  scat  t<>  be  seen  vacant.  Tliere  were 
many  other  members  who  made  a  point  of  "  looking  in  to  see 
what's  doing"  almost  every  evening  ;  l)iit  they  soon  letl  the 
liouse  again.  Xot  so  Mr.  Hume,  lie  \v;is  there  at.  all  times 
and  during  every  debate,  however  dry  and  uninteresting.  He 
\\a>  looked  on  by  u  honourable  gentlemen"  as  a  sort,  of  ani- 
mated fixture.  His  contiguity  to  the  post  and  the  regularity 
of  his  attendance  made  a  Tory  baronet,  who  was  in  the  house 
during  the  close  borough  regime,  waggishly  remark,  "There 
is  Joseph  always  at  his;w.v/."  Whether  Sir  Charles  Wetherell, 
or  Sir  William  Gumming,  a  Scotch  baronet,  is  entitled  to  the 
credit  of  the  witty  observation,  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascer- 
tain, as  both  graced  the  last  Unreformed  Parliament  by  their 
presence,  and  both  were  equally  lavish  of  their  waggeries.  It 
has  often  been  a  matter  of  surprise  how  Mr.  Hume's  constitu- 
tion could  stand  such  close  attendance  in  the  house,  especially 
when  the  unhealthy  atmosphere*  he  had  to  breathe,  and  the 
quantity  of  speaking  he  went  through,  were  taken  into  ac- 
count; and  yet,  excepting  on  one  or  two  occasions,  he  was 
never  heard  to  complain  of  illness.  Can  it  be  that  there  are 
any  peculiarly  salubrious  qualities  in  pears  1  for,  by  his  own 
admission  he  always  filled  his  pockets  with  this  species  of  fruit 
when  it  was  to  be  had,  and  ate  the  pears  in  the  house,  making 
them  answer  as  a  substitute  for  dinner.  Colonel  Leith  Hay, 
before  he  was  a  member  of  Government,  as  well  as  since ;  Mr. 
Warburton,  Mr.  Humphrey,  Mr.  Roebuck,  Mr.  Ruthven,  Mr. 
Pease  the  Quaker  member,  and  many  others,  including  men 
of  all  parties,  whose  names  it  is  unnecessary  to  give,  were  also 
very  regular  in  their  attendance,!  though  I  am  not  aware  that 
they  patronized  the  consumption  of  pears  in  the  house. 

Members  who  wish  to  sit  in  any  particular  part  of  the  house 
on  a  given  evening,  must  go  down  at  the  time  of  prayers,  and 
label  the  particular  place  with  their  name.  If  they  neglect  to 
do  this,  they  cannot  claim  any  particular  seat  as  a  right, — 
though  it  may  be  conceded  to  them  by  the  courtesy  of  other 
members,  if  it  be  the  place  they  usually  filled.  The  seats 
occupied  by  members  of  the  Government  are,  however,  un- 

*  The  last  House  of  Commons  was  an  extremely  unhealthy  place. 

1 1  speak  here  in  the  past  tense,  because  my  observations  chiefly 
refer  to  the  last  House  of  Commons,  both  in  respect  to  the  place  and 
the  members.  The  same  observations,  as  to  those  who  are  in  the 
present  Parliament,  still  apply  with  equal  truth. 


TUB  HOUSE.  9 

derstood  to  be  exceptions  to  this  rule.  Ministers,  and  those 
holding  important  Government  offices,  are  not  put  to  the 
trouble  of  placarding  their  names  on  the  backs  of  their  seats, 
as  no  other  member,  however  crowded  the  house,  would  think 
of  occupyiny  their  places.  When  an  important  debate  is 
expected,  almost  all  the  seats,  with  the  exception  of  those 
occupied  by  the  members  of  the  Government,  are  thus  labelled 
the  moment  that  prayers  are  over.  At  the  time  of  the  second 
reading  of  the  Reform  Bill,  every  member  was  naturally 
anxious  to  secure  a  seat  in  a  good  part  of  the  house,  and  in 
order  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure  that  none  of  his  "  honour- 
able friends"  should  pre-engage  the  one  which  he  had,  in  hig 
own  mind,  fixed  on,  Mr.  R.  Fergusson  went  down  one  day 
during  the  adjourned  debate  at  seven  in  the  morning,  that 
being  the  hour  at  which  the  servants  cleaned  the  house.  To 
his  great  surprise  he  found  the  discussion  still  proceeding 
which  he  had  left  the  previous  night  at  a  little  before  twelve, 
under  the  impression  the  debate  would  be  again  adjourned. 
The  feeling  of  the  House  had  become  general  in  favour  of  a 
division,  and  several  of  the  Tories  being  determined,  as  the 
Reformers  said,  to  embrace  that  as  the  last  opportunity  of 
einging  the  requiem  of  the  Constitution,  had  protracted  the 
discussion  so  long  that  Mr.  Fergusson  was  just  iu  time  to  vote, 
and  thus  got  credit  from  his  constituents  and  the  country  for 
having  been  in  the  house  all  night,  in  the  plenitude  of  his 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  Reform. 

Of  the  strangers'  gallery  I  have  as  yet  said  nothing.  It 
was  immediately  above  the  door  at  which  the  members  entered 
the  house.  It  consisted  of  five  seats,  and  could  accommodate 
comfortably  one  hundred  and  twenty  persons ;  but  during  im- 
portant debates  I  have  seen  one  hundred  and  fifty  wedged  into 
it.  On  such  occasions,  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  Peers 
submitting  to  be  jostled  and  jammed,  and  treated  with  as  little 
ceremony  by  the  "strangers,"  as  the  veriest  plebeian  in  the 
gallery.  They  could  have  procured  a  comfortable  seat  in  the 
house  itself;  not  of  course  among  the  members,  but  on  some 
of  the  benches  under  the  gallery  which  are  set  apart  for  the 
friends  of  honourable  gentlemen ;  but  they  rather  preferred  to 
encounter  all  the  inconveniences  of  a  seat  in  the  gallery, 
where  they  could  witness  the  proceedings  incognito. 

Strangers,  as  already  mentioned,  are  admitted  to  the  gallery 
either  by  an  order  from  a  member,  or  on  paying  half  a  crown 
to  the  door-keeper.  No  member  is  allowed  to  write  more  than 
one  order  for  one  day,  and  the  day  of  the  week  and  that  of  the 


10  i  in:  inti  sr. 

month,  tlie  same  as  franking  a  letter,  must  be  written  on  it, 
otherwise  the  door-keeper  may  refuse  to  admit  tlie  bearer. 
Perhaps,  on  an  average,  one  half  of  those  who  go  to  the  gallery 
pay  half  a  crown  each,  and  the  other  half  an1  admitted  by  the 
orders  of  members.  Taking  one  evening  with  another,  it  is 
probable  the  number  of  persons  present  in  the  gallery  every 
day  of  the  session  is  about  one  hundred.  There  is  consequently 
a  considerable  sum  to  divide  among  the  officers  of  the  house 
connected  with  the  gallery.  They  are  six  in  number.  They 
have,  besides,  certain  fees  on  all  bills  which  are  brought  into 
the  House,  and  also  receive  gratuities  from  the  members.  Mr. 
Wright  is  the  principal  door-keeper,  and  has  consequently 
some  perquisites  peculiar  to  himself.  He  is  a  venerable  look- 
ing man,  upwards  of  seventy  years  of  age.  He  has  held  his 
present  situation  more  than  thirty  years,  and  is  said  to  have 
made  by  it  a  very  handsome  fortune. 

The  back  seat  of  the  strangers'  gallery  was  exclusively 
appropriated  to  reporters.  They  paid  nothing  on  entering,  but 
the  proprietors  of  the  respective  papers  for  which  they  were 
engaged  paid  three  guineas  for  each  every  session ;  and  as  the 
reporters  are  from  sixty  to  seventy  in  number,  this  alone  is  no 
inconsiderable  source  of  revenue  to  the  door-keepers.  On  the 
left  hand  side  of  the  gallery,  and  immediately  above  the  lobby, 
was  a  small  room  for  the  benefit  of  the  reporters,  in  which  they 
might  put  their  hats,  cloaks,  great  coats,  &c.  when  going  on 
duty,  and  where  they  might  remain  until  their  "  turn,"  to  use 
their  own  technical  term,  came.  No  ladies  were  admitted  to 
the  strangers'  gallery,  nor  could  any  member  take  a  female 
friend  to  one  of  the  seats  under  it.  The  only  possible  way  by 
which  ladies  could  either  see  or  hear  what  was  going  on,  was 
by  mounting  above  the  ceiling  of  the  house,  and  looking  down 
througfli  a  large  hole  which  was  made  immediately  above  the 
principal  chandelier,  for  the  purpose  of  ventilation.  Not 
more  than  fourteen  could,  at  once,  see  or  hear  what  was  going 
on  from  this  place,  and  even  then  but  imperfectly.  Besides, 
the  smoke  of  the  candles,  and  the  heated  atmosphere  they 
inhaled,  combined  with  the  awkwardness  of  the  position  they 
were  obliged  to  assume,  made  the  situation  so  very  unpleasant 
that  few  remained  long  in  it.  Those  only  who  were  anxious 
to  hear  their  husbands,  or  brothers,  or  lovers,  make  some  ex- 
pected oration,  had  the  fortitude  to  endure  the  semi-martyrdom 
of  remaining  man}'  minutes  in  such  a  place. 

On  the  left  side  of  the  lobby,  or  entrance  to  the  house,  was 
the  voting  room,  the  place  where  the  votes  were  always  taken 


THE  HOUSE.  11 

on  divisions,  except  when  the  House  was  in  committee, — on 
which  occasions,  as  I  shall  afterwards  mention  more  fully,  the 
votes  were  taken  on  the  floor  of  the  house,  by  the  members 
changing  sides.  Immediately  above  the  voting  room  was  the 
smoking  room,  to  which  members  retired  from  the  house  who 
were  in  the  habit  of  smoking  cigars.  Here  also  the  members 
repaired  to  write  letters, — the  necessary  stationary,  and  every 
other  convenience,  being  always  kept  in  abundant  supply  for 
the  purpose.  Directly  opposite,  and  only  six  or  seven  feet 
distant  from  the  smoking  room,  was  a  letter  bag  for  the  re- 
ception of  the  letters  of  members.  It  may  be  said  to  have 
been  a  branch  general  post-office,  as  every  person  about  the 
house,  including  the  reporters,  and  even  strangers  in  the 
gallery,  were  permitted  to  put  letters  and  newspapers  into  it. 
It  was  always  kept  open  till  seven  o'clock.  Those  of  the 
reporters  who  had  letters  to  write  for  country  newspapers, 
found  it  extremely  convenient,  as  they  were  by  that  means 
enabled  to  give  the  proceedings  in  the  House  up  to  within  a 
minute  or  two  of  seven  o'clock.  But  for  it  they  must  always 
have  left  the  gallery  by  about  twenty  minutes  after  six,  as  the 
general  post-office — none  of  the  branch  ones  were  then  open 
later  than  five  o'clock — was  nearly  two  miles  and  a  half 
distant.* 

Near  the  door  of  the  smoking-room,  but  a  few  feet  higher, 
was  the  door  of  the  library.  The  library  was  chiefly  frequented 
by  those  members  who  were  in  the  habit  of  speaking.  To 
them  it  was  very  convenient,  as  it  contained  the  leading  works 
in  history,  politics,  and  general  literature.  Those  not  in  the 
way  of  enlightening  the  House  and  the  country  by  their  elo- 
quence, always  preferred  the  smoking-room,  or  the  refresh- 
ment apartments,  to  the  legislative  and  literary  tomes  in  the 
library. 

There  were  so  many  passages  and  rooms  in  the  old  House 
of  Commons,  that  it  was  with  great  difficulty  strangers  could 
find  their  way  to  the  gallery.  Sometimes  they  made  very 
awkward  mistakes.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  them  to 
go  in  through  the  lobby  and  advance  to  the  door  by  which  the 
members  entered,  with  the  most  perfect  nonchalance ;  not 
taking  the  trouble  to  inquire  whether  they  were  right,  because 
it  never  for  a  moment  occurred  to  them  that  they  were  wrong. 

*  It  is  unnecessary  to  repeat,  that  as  regards  all  matters  of  con- 
venience  of  this  kind,  the  same  remarks  equally  apply  to  the  present 
house. 


12  THE  norsr. 

Judge  of  a  .stranger's  surprise,  when  the  first  intimation  made 
to  him  that  he  was  treading  on  forbidden  ground,  was  tlie  be- 
ing soi/.ed  by  the  neck  by  one  of  the  officers  of  the  House, 
Who  on  such  occasions  are  as  unceremonious,  both  in  their 
words  and  actions,  as  if  they  were  so  many  (In -at  ..Moguls,  and 
the  hapless  stranger  the  most,  degraded  of  slaves.*  It  was  a 
wonder  if  the  confusion  consequent  on  the  first  blunder  was 
not  the  parent  of  a  second;  and  if,  when  told  that  the  gallery 
was  up-stairs,  he  did  not,  on  the  principle,  in  such  a  case,  of 
taking  the  first  open  door,  "drop  in"  among  the  M.  I'.'s  in  the 
emoking-room.  Recollecting  the  treatment  ho  had  received 
from  the  officers  in  the  lobby,  he  would,  on  discovering  his 
mistake,  resign  himself  to  the  expected  calamity  of  being 
bundled  down  stairs,  head  or  heels  foremost,  as  the  case  might 
be, — running  the  imminent  risk,  of  course,  of  having  his  neck 
broken  in  the  descent.  He  would,  however,  soon  find  his  fears 
happily  dispelled,  by  being  told,  in  the  most  civil  and  good- 
natured  manner  possible,  by  one  of  the  officers — for  those  in 
that  department  were  remarkable  for  their  urbanity  to  stran- 
gers— that  he  had  gone  to  the  wrong  place,  and  by  being  di- 
rected up  seven  or  eight  stairs  to  the  passage  leading  to  the 
gallery.  If  he  was  surprised  at  the  roughness  of  his  treat- 
ment in  the  lobby,  he  is  now  no  less  so  at  the  attention  shown 
him,  and  the  readiness  with  which  a  merciful  consideration  is, 
in  his  casev  extended  to  the  very  heinous  sin  of  ignorance  of 
the  gallery's  locale. 

Some  amusing  mistakes  from  ignorance  of  the  rules  of  the 
House  occasionally  occur.  In  the  session  of  1833,  a  Scotch 
Highlander,  newly  arrived  from  his  native  hills,  got,  by  some 
strange  oversight  of  the  officers,  into  the  side  gallery  appro- 
priated for  members,  on  the  right  of  the  Speaker's  chair.  He 
knew  no  more  of  the  rules  or  localities  of  the  house  than  he 
did  of  the  politics  of  Timbuctoo.  Never  suspecting  that  he 
was  transgressing  any  law,  human  or  divine,  in  entering  the 
side  gallery,  or  when  there,  takingthe  best  place  he  could 
find,  he  at  once  advanced  to  one"  OT  the  front  benches,  and 
there  seated  himself  with  the  utmost  imaginable  coolness, — 
just  as  if  about  to  "  rest  himself"  on  the  brow  of  some  of  the 
heath-clad  mountains  of  Caledonia.  There  were  a  few  strag- 
gling members  in  the  side  gallery  at  the  time,  and  perceiving 

*  Let  me  not,  however,  be  misunderstood  here.  In  consequence 
of  the  number  of  strangers  always  lounging  in  the  lobby,  the  offi- 
cers are  often  obliged  to  be  very  unceremonious. 


THE  HOUSE.  13 

at  once  from  his  Highland  costume — he  was  dressed  in  tartan 
— that  he  did  not  belong  to  the  fraternity  of  St.  Stephen's 
legislators,  they  richly  enjoyed  the  amusing  blunder  which 
Donald  had  committed.  He,  meanwhile,  after  gazing  with 
boundless  astonishment  on  the  huge  proportions  of  the  Speak- 
er's wig,  and  witnessing  the  bustle  that  was  going  on  on  the 
floor  of  the  house,  turned  his  eyes  towards  the  strangers'  gal- 
lery, and  seemed  quite  amazed  that  so  many  persons  should 
quietly  subqpit  to  be  so  closely  squeezed  together — to  the  im- 
minent hazard  of  their  ribs — that  they  looked  one  solid  moun- 
tain of  mortality,  while  there  were  so  many  cushioned  and 
comfortable  unoccupied  seats  in  the  place  where  he  had  loca- 
ted himself.  At  this  moment  one  of  the  members  on  an  ad- 
joining seat,  seeing  poor  Donald  had  transgressed  from  igno- 
rance, whispered  to  him  to  make  himself  scarce  in  a  moment, 
or  that  otherwise  he  would  be  taken  into  custody.  A  word  to 
the  wise  is  enough :  the  mountaineer  took  the  hint  of  the 
friendly  M.  P.,  and  darted  out  of  the  house  as  well  as  the  gal- 
lery in  a  twinkling.  I  am  credibly  assured  that  he  ran  at  his 
full  speed,  not  casting  one  "  longing  lingering  look  behind," 
till  he  reached  Somerset  House  in  the  Strand,  a  distance  of 
full  one  mile  and  a  half. 

On  another  occasion,  during  the  session  of  1834,  a  lady,  the 
sister  of  one  of  the  members,  entered  the  side  gallery  by  mis- 
take, instead  of  going  to  the  only  place  above  the  ceiling 
whence  "  the  sex"  were  permitted  to  have  a  "  peep,"  for  it 
was  nothing  more,  at  the  House.  She  immediately,  to  speak 
in  parliamentary  phraseology,  "caught  the  eye  of  the  Speaker," 
then  Sir  Charles  Manners  Sutton,  whose  visual  organs  were 
always  allowed  to  be  as  acute  in  this  respect  as  they  were  said 
by  the  Liberals  to  be  in  first  recognizing  a  talented  Tory, 
when  a  Tory  and  Reformer  rose  at  the  same  time  to  address 
the  House.  The  Speaker  seemed  quite  delighted  with  the 
novelty  of  a  politician  in  petticoats ;  he  never  withdrew  his 
eye  from  the  fair  intruder  an  instant  during  the  short  time 
she  remained  in  the  house.  She  was  infinitely  more  attractive 
than  the  eloquence  of  the  orator  who,  for  the  time  being, 
chanced  to  be  addressing  "the  House."  Until  the  lady 
vanished,  Mr.  Speaker  was  as  inattentive  to  the  arguments  of 
the  honourable  member  "on  his  legs,"  as  was  the  wig  on  his 
lnvid  or  the  chair  on  which  he  sat.  Had  the  intruder  been 
of  the  masculine  gender,  he  would,  if  observed,  have  been 
pounced  on  by  the  officer  in  a  moment,  but  gallantry  forbade 
taking  a  lady  into  custody ;  and  therefore,  as  in  the  event  of 
2 


14  Tin:  norsi 

its  being  known  that  he  had  seen  the  transgressor  in  petti- 
coats, and  laid  failed  to  do  his  duty,  he  would  have  subjected 
himself  to  something  more  than  reproof,  he,  unlike  the  Speaker, 
contrived  to  appear  as  if  the  lady  had  not  caught  his  eye.  Atler 
she  had  been  in  the  prohibited  place  for  nearly  a  minute,  it 
occurred  to  her  that  she  was  in  the  wrong  locality,  and  ac- 
cordingly she  made  her  exit  forthwith. 

But  the  most  amusing  mistake  of  this  nature  which  occur- 
red in  my  time,  was  in  the  case  of  a  young  gentleman  from 
the  north  of  Scotland.  It  happened  in  April,  1833.  A  mem- 
ber having  taken  him  into  the  house,  pointed  him  to  a  seat 
under  the  gallery,  of  which  he  immediately  took  possession ; 
but  he  had  not  been  above  half  an  hour  in  it  when  he  began 
to  feel  the  inconvenience  of  which  the  reporters  so  often  com- 
plain, namely,  that  of  certain  members  being  "  totally  inaudi- 
ble," and  as  the  orator  who  then  addressed  the  house  happened 
to  speak  from  the  third  bench  on  the  left  of  the  Speaker's 
chair,  the  young  Scotsman  very  naturally  concluded  that  the 
best  way  to  remedy  the  evil  of  not  hearing  at  all,  or  hearing 
but  very  imperfectly,  would  be  to  place  himself  as  nearly  as 
possible  in  tlie  vicinity  of  the  orator;  and  as  he  had  always 
taken  it  for  granted  that  if  introduced  into  the  house  by  a 
member,  he  might  take  any  of  the  back  seats,  if  not  occupied 
by  the  legislators  themselves,  he  very  deliberately  walked 
himself  to  the  bench  immediately  behind  that  whence  the 
honourable  member  poured  forth  his  eloquence.  The  house 
chanced  to  be  pretty  full  at  the  time,  and  there  he  remained 
undiscovered  upwards  of  two  hours,  when  it  adjourned,  and 
he  went  out  amidst  the  crowd  of  honourable  and  right  honour- 
able gentlemen.  Mr.  Hume,  who  sat  only  about  two  yards 
distant,  cast  sundry  very  suspicious  looks  towards  him,  as  if 
apprehending  that  he  was  some  spy  from  the  Tory  camp  on 
the  opposite  side.  Had  the  House  come  to  a  division  on  the 
debate  during  part  of  which  the  young  Scotchman  was  pre- 
sent, he  would  have  made  the  discovery,  to  his  cost,  that  there 
is  all  the  difference  in  the  world  in  the  house  itself,  whatever 
there  may  be  elsewhere,  between  a  private  individual  and  he 
whose  name  is  graced  by  the  appendage  of  an  M.  P. 


FORMS,  RULES,  REGULATIONS,  &C.  15 

CHAPTER  11. 

FORMS,  RULES,  REGULATIONS,  &C.  OF  THE  HOUSE. 

AT  the  time  appointed  for  the  meeting  of  a  new  Parliament, 
the  King,  attended  by  his  officers  and  guards,  goes  in  state  to 
meet  the  members  of  both  Houses.  On  his  arrival  and  depar- 
ture from  the  Lords  (the  only  House  he  ever  visits),  he  is 
greeted  by  royal  salutes  of  twenty-one  guns  each,  as  well — 
especially  if  a  popular  monarch — as  by  the  plaudits  of  a  vast 
concourse  of  his  subjects,  who  invariably,  on  such  occasions, 
congregate  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  both  Houses.  The 
first  place  his  Majesty  enters  is  an  apartment  exclusively  de- 
voted to  himself,  called  the  Prince's  Chamber.  Here  he  puts 
on  his  crown  and  robes,  and  then  proceeds,  conducted  by  the 
Lord  Chamberlain,  to  the  House  of  Lords,  when,  having  taken 
his  seat  on  the  throne,  and  received  the  obeisance  of  the  Lords 
spiritual  and  temporal,  who  all  stand  in  their  respective  places 
clothed  in  their  robes  of  state  and  office,  he  desires  the  Gen- 
tleman Usher  of  the  Black  Rod  to  order  the  Commons  into  his 
presence.  On  proceeding  to  the  Lower  House,  that  officer 
finds  the  members  wraiting  his  arrival,  in  order  that  they  may 
promptly  obey  the  commands  of  their  Sovereign.  He  advances 
to  the  bar,  making  three  low  bows  to  the  members,  and  then 
addressing  them,  says — "  Gentlemen  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, the  King  commands  this  Honourable  House  to  attend 
him  immediately  in  the  House  of  Peers."  Retiring  back- 
wards and  again  bowing  three  times,  he  withdraws. 

The  Commons  forthwith  proceed  in  a  body  to  the  bar  of 
the  House  of  Lords,  where  they  make  their  obeisance  both  to 
the  King  and  .Peers.  The  Lord  Chancellor  or  Lord  Keeper 
then  commands  them,  in  the  King's  name,  to  choose  a  Speaker 
for  their  House  from  among  themselves,  who  shall  be  their 
chairman  and  the  regulator  of  their  proceedings  during  their 
sittings,  and  also  the  mouth-piece  or  channel  of  communication 
between  them  and  the  other  branches  of  the  Legislature, 
during  the  existence  of  that  parliament.  The  Commons,  after 
again  making  their  obeisance  to  their  Sovereign  and  the 
Peers,  retire  from  the  bar  of  the  Upper  House,  and  return  to 
their  own  House,  where,  in  obedience  to  the  commands  of 
the  King,  and  agreeably  to  the  Constitution,  they  immediately 


16  FORMS,  RVL1-S,  REGULATIONS,  &C. 

proceed  to  the  choice  of  a  Speaker.  It  is  necessary,  however, 
before  choosing  a  Speaker,  that  tlie  members  present  take  the 
necessary  oaths,  which  are  administered  by  the  Lord  Steward 
of  his  Majesty's  Household.  The  mace,  which,  during  the 
proceeding's  in  the  Jlmisf,  except  when  it  is  in  committee, 
always  lies  on  the  table,  must,  at  the  commencement  of  every 
new  parliament,  and  on  the  death  or  resignation  of  the  old 
Speaker,  be  put  under  the  table.  This  being  done,  any  ho- 
nourable member  rises  and  proposes  that  some  other  honour- 
able member,  whom  he  names,  take  the  chair.  This  motion 
being  seconded,  if  there  be  no  opposition,  the  honourable  mem- 
ber so  named  is  declared  to  be  duly  elected,  and  is  led  by  the 
mover  and  seconder  of  the  motion  from  his  seat  to  the  bar  of 
the  house,  whence  they  conduct  him,  bowing  three  times  as 
they  advance,  to  the  chair.  After  they  have  seated  him,  he 
rises  up  and  returns  thanks  for  the  honour  they  have  conferred 
on  him ;  expressing  at  the  same  time  a  sense  of  his  unfitness 
for  the  situation  in  which  they  have  placed  him,  and  request- 
ing that  the  House  would  choose  some  person  more  qualified 
to  preside  over  its  proceedings.  His  request  being  of  course 
refused,  he  submits  to  the  pleasure  of  the  House,  and,  on  re- 
ceiving directions  regarding  the  usual  requests  to  be  made  on 
behalf  of  the  House  when  he  waits  on  the  King,  he  adjourns 
it  to  a  day  appointed  for  that  purpose. 

When  the  choice  of  a  Speaker  is  to  be  contested,  and  an- 
other honourable  member  has  been  proposed  and  seconded  for 
the  office,  the  choice  is  to  be  determined  by  what  is  called  a 
question,  namely,  taking  the  votes  of  all  present  on  the  sub- 
ject. The  clerk  of  the  House  is  the  person  who  on  such 
occasions  is  addressed  by  the  members  who  speak  in  support 
of  the  respective  candidates,  and  when  the  debate  is  concluded, 
it  is  his  duty  to  put  the  question  and  count  the  votes  for  each. 
This  is  done,  as  in  divisions  in  committees  of  the  whole  House, 
by  changing  sides.  When  the  contest  is  expected  to  be  a 
close  one, — as  at  the  meeting  of  the  present  parliament  when 
Sir  Charles  Manners  Sutton  and  Mr.  Abercromby  were  the 
opposing  candidates, — the  clerk  of  the  House  has  a  duty  of 
some  importance  to  discharge.  Each  candidate,  as  a  matter 
of  etiquette,  votes  for  his  opponent.  Those  who  were  not 
aware  of  this  conventional  arrangement,  were  surprised  when 
they  saw  at  the  last  election  of  Speaker,  the  name  of  Sir 
Charles  Manners  Sutton  as  voting  for  Mr.  Abercromby,  and 
that  of  Mr.  Abercromby  for  Sir  Charles.  The  House  then 
adjourns  for  a  few  days,  to  give  time  to  all  the  members  to 


OF  THE  HOUSE.  17 

take  the  necessary  oaths  a  second  time.  If  they  fail  to  do 
this  they  incur  a  penalty  of  £500,  and  are  besides  disqualified 
for  voting  on  the  answer  to  his  Majesty's  speech,  or  on  any 
other  question.  It  is  not,  however,  necessary  that  the  oaths 
be  administered  to  the  members  separately.  I  have  seen  as 
many  as  eighteen  or  twenty  members  advance  to  the  table 
and  take  the  oaths  at  once. 

The  day  appointed  for  the  Speaker's  appearance  before  the 
King  on  behalf  of  the  Commons  having  arrived,  the  Usher  cf 
the  Black  Rod  is  ag^ain  commanded  by  his  Majesty,  through 
the  Lord  Chamberlain,  to  summon  the  members  of  the  Lower 
House  into  the  presence  of  the  King  at  the  bar  of  the  House 
of  Peers.  That  officer  enters  the  House  of  Commons  in  the 
same  manner,  and  with  the  same  ceremonies  as  before,  only 
that  he  now  addresses  himself  to  the  Speaker.  The  Com- 
mons, on  hearing  the  King's  pleasure  announced,  immediately 
proceed  to  the  bar  of  the  Upper  House,  headed  by  their 
Speaker,  \^en  they  make  their  obeisance  to  his  Majesty  and 
the  Peers  as  before.  The  Speaker  then  addresses  himself  in 
the  following  speech  to  the  King : 
"  Most  gracious  Sovereign, 

"  The  knights,  citizens,  and  burgesses  of  your  House  of 
Commons,  in  obedience  to  your  royal  command,  have  pro- 
ceeded to  the  choice  of  a  Speaker.  They  have  among  them 
many  worthy  persons  eminently  qualified  for  so  great  a  trust; 
yet,  witli  too  favourable  an  eyex  have  cast  it  upon  me,  who 
am  really  conscious  to  myself  of  many  infirmities,  rendering 
me  much  unfit  for  so  great  an  employment.  And  although 
my  endeavours  of  excusing  myself  before  them  have  not  been 
successful,  yet  they  have  been  so  indulgent  as  to  permit  me 
to  continue  my  endeavours  therein  before  your  Majesty's  most 
piercing  and  discerning  judgment. 

"  The  veneration  due  to  Majesty  which  lodgeth  in  every 
loyal  breast,  makes  it  not  an  easy  matter  to  speak  before  your 
Majesty  at  any  time,  or  in  any  capacity.  But  to  speak  before 
your  Majesty  in  your  exaltation,  thus  gloriously  supported 
and  attended,  and  that  as  Speaker  of  your  House  of  Commons, 
requires  greater  abilities  than  I  can  pretend  to  own. 

"  I  am  not  also  without  fear  that  the  public  affairs,  wherein 
your  Majesty  and  your  kingdom  in  this  juncture  of  time  are 
so  highly  concerned,  may  receive  detriment  through  my 
weakness. 

"  I  therefore,  with  a  plain  humble  heart,  prostrate  at  your 


18  FORMS,  RULES,  REGULATIONS,  &C. 

royal  feet,  beseech  that  you  will  command  them  to  review 
what  they  have  done,  and  to  proceed  to  another  election." 

To  this  address  the  Lord  Chancellor,  by  direction  of  his 
Majesty,  returns  the  following  answer,  mentioning  at  the 
1><  ginning  the  name  or  title  of  the  Speaker. 

"  The  King  hath  very  attentively  heard  your  discreet  and 
handsome  discourse,  whereby  you  endeavour  to  excuse  and 
disable  yourself  for  the  place  of  Speaker:  in  answer  whereof, 
his  Majesty  hath  commanded  me  to  say  to  you,  that  he  doth 
in  no  sort  admit  of  the  same ;  for  his  Majesty  hath  had  long 
experience  of  your  abilities,  good  affection,  integrity,  and  reso- 
lution, in  several  employments  of  great  trust  and  weight. 
He  knows  you  have  been  long  a  Parliament  man,  and  therefore 
every  way  fitted  and  qualified  for  the  employment.  Besides, 
he  cannot  disapprove  the  election  of  this  House  of  Com- 
mons, especially  when  they  have  expressed  so  much  duty  in 
choosing  one  so  worthy  and  acceptable  to  him.  And  there- 
fore the  King  doth  allow  of  the  election  and  admits  you  for 
Speaker." 

On  receiving  this  answer,  the  Speaker  further  addresses 
the  King  as  follows : — 
"  Great  Sir, 

"  Since  it  is  your  gracious  pleasure  not  to  accept  of  my 
humble  excuse,  but  by  your  royal  approbation  to  fix  me  under 
this  great  though  honourable  weight,  and  to  think  me  fit  to 
be  invested  with  a  trust  of  so  high  a  nature  as  this  is;  I  take 
it,  in  the  first  place,  to  be  incumbent  upon  me,  that  I  render 
your  Majesty  all  possible  thanks ;  which  I  now  humbly  do, 
with  a  heart  full  of  all  duty,  and  offered  with  a  deeper  sense 
of  gratitude  than  I  can  find  words  to  express. 

"  Next,  from  your  royal  determination  in  this  affair,  where- 
by you  have  imprinted  a  new  character  upon  me,  I  take 
courage  against  my  own  diffidence,  and  cheerfully  bend  my- 
self, with  such  strength  and  abilities  as  God  shall  give,  to  the 
service  so  graciously  assigned  me ;  no  way  doubting  that  your 
Majesty  will  please  to  pardon  my  frailties,  to  accept  of  my 
faithful  endeavours,  and  always  to  look  favourably  upon  the 
work  of  your  own  hands. 

"  And  now,  Sir,  my  first  entrance  upon  this  service  obliges 
me  to  make  a  few  necessary,  but  humble  petitions,  on  the 
behalf  of  your  most  loyal  and  dutiful  House  of  Commons. 

"  1.  That,  for  our  better  attendance  on  the  public  service, 
we  and  our  servants  may  be  free  in  our  persons  and  estates 
from  arrests  and  other  disturbances. 


OP  THE  HOtSE.  19 

"  2.  That,  in  our  debates,  liberty  and  freedom  of  speech  be 
allowed  to  us. 

"  3.  That,  as  occasion  shall  require,  your  Majesty,  upon 
our  humble  suit,  and  at  such  times  as  your  Majesty  shall 
judge  seasonable,  will  vouchsafe  us  access  to  your  royal 
person. 

"  4.  That  all  our  proceedings  may  receive  a  favourable 
construction. 

"  That  God,  who  hath  brought  you  back  to  the  throne  of 
your  fathers,  and  with  you  all  our  comforts,  grant  you  a  long 
and  prosperous  reign,  and  send  you  victory  over  all  your  ene- 
mies; and  every  good  man's  heart  will  say,  Amen." 

To  this  second  address  to  his  Majesty,  the  Lord  Chancellor, 
by  his  Majesty's  further  directions,  makes  the  following  an- 
swer : — "  Mr.  Speaker,  The  King's  Majesty  hath  heard  and 
well  weighed  your  short  and  eloquent  oration,  and,  in  the  first 
place,  much  approves  that  you  have  introduced  a  shorter  way 
of  speaking-  on  this  occasion.  His  Majesty  doth  well  accept 
of  all  those  dutiful  and  affectionate  expressions  in  which  you 
have  delivered  your  submission  to  his  royal  pleasure,  and  looks 
upon  it  as  a  good  omen  to  his  affairs,  and  as  an  evidence  that 
the  House  of  Commons  have  still  the  same  at  heart  that  have 
chosen  such  a  mouth;  the  conjuncture  of  time  and  the  King 
t  nd  kingdom's  affairs  require  such  a  House  of  Commons,  such 
a  Speaker;  for,  with  reverence  to  the  Holy  Scripture,  upon 
this  occasion,  the  King  may  say,  '  He  that  is  not  with  me  is 
against  me,'  for  he  that  doth  not  now  put  his  hand  and  heart 
to  support  the  King  in  the  common  cause  of  this  kingdom,  can 
hardly  ever  hope  for  such  another  opportunity,  or  find  a  time 
to  make  satisfaction  for  the  omission  of  this. 

"  Next,  I  am  commanded  by  his  Majesty  to  answer  your 
four  petitions ;  whereof  the  first  being  the  freedom  of  you  and 
your  servants,  your  persons  and  estates,  without  arrests  or 
other  disturbance,  the  King  has  graciously  pleased  to  grant  it 
as  full  as  to  any  of  your  predecessors  ;  the  second  for  liberty 
and  freedom  of  speech ;  the  third  for  access  to  his  royal  per- 
son ;  and  the  fourth  that  your  proceedings  may  receive  a  fa- 
vourable construction,  are  all  freely  granted  by  his  Majesty." 

The  above  form  or  ceremony  observed  in  the  choosing  and 
approving  of  a  Speaker,  was  first  used  on  the  occasion  of  Sir 
Job  Charlton's  election  to  the  chair  of  the  House  of  Commons 
in  the  time  of  Charles  the  Second,  since  which  period  it  has 
beon  invariably  adopted. 

The  Speaker  ia  elected,  as  already  observed,  not  at  the  com- 


20  FORMS,  RtLES,  REGULATIONS,  &C. 

mcncement  of  each  session,  but  at  the  meeting;  of  every  now 
parliament.  The  title  Speaker  is  given  to  him  because  he 
alone  lias  the  right,  to  speak  to  or  address  the  King  in  the  name 
and  on  behalf  of  the  House.  In  the  chair,  he  sits  chiefly  in 
the  capacity  of  a  moderator  of  the  assembly,  never  taking  any 
part  in  the  proceedings,  or  expressing  any  opinion  on  the  sub- 
ject-matter of  discussion ;  all  he  does  is  to  call  on  the  different 
members,  when  the  proper  time  arrives,  to  present  the  peti- 
tions or  make  the  motions  of  which  they  have  given  notice, 
and  to  correct  any  member,  who,  either  from  ignorance  of  the 
rules  and  usages  of  the  House,  or  in  the  heat  of  debate,  is  out 
of  order.  In  calling  on  members  to  present  petitions,  ad- 
dresses, &c.  or  make  the  motions  of  which  they  had  previous- 
ly given  notice,  the  Speaker  invariably  takes  their  names  in 
the  order  of  time  in  which  they  had  given  their  respective  no- 
tices. His  powers  are  very  great.  When  he  interposes  his 
authority,  no  member  must  for  a  moment  question  it ;  if  any 
member  were  to  do  so,  he  can  order  him  at  once  into  the  cus- 
tody of  the  Serjeant-at-Arms.  Hence  it  is  that  when  he  in- 
terferes, honourable  members,  in  the  midst  of  their  angriest, 
and  most  violent  altercations,  at  once  express  their  readiness 
to  bow  to  the  decision  and  submit  to  the  pleasure  of  the  Chair. 
During  his  absence  no  business  can  be  transacted,  nor  any 
other  question  proposed  than  that  of  an  adjournment.  When 
the  House  resolves  itself  into  a  Committee,  he  vacates  the 
chair,  and  takes  his  seat  as  a  private  member,  when  he  has  a 
right  to  speak  to  any  question  before  the  Committee  if  he  is 
so  inclined,  which,  however,  he  very  rarely  is. 

The  office  of  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons  is  one  of 
the  most  arduous  kind  ;  the  amount  of  labour  he  has  to  perform 
is  almost  incredible.  Not  only  must  he  be  always  present 
during  the  sittings  of  the  House,  but  he  must  at  all  hours  of 
the  day,  and  on  all  occasions  during  the  session,  be  accessible 
to  every  member  who  chooses  to  wait  on  him.  lie  must  sign 
all  the  records  of  the  votes  and  proceedings  of  the  House,  and 
of  course  carefully  read  them  over,  lest  there  should  be  anything 
wrong  in  them  before  affixing  his  signature  ;  he  must  be  al- 
ways ready  to  instruct  members  as  to  matters  of  form ;  in 
short,  nearly  all  the  business  part  of  the  House  is  transacted 
by  him  and  his  clerks.  Not  even  Saturday,  when  no  business, 
except  on  very  urgent  occasions,  is  done  in  the  house,  was 
formerly  a  day  of  recreation  to  him;  for  every  Saturday  dur- 
ing the  session,  before  the  meeting  of  the  present  Parliament, 
he  was  obliged  to  hold  what  are  called  Parliamentary  Levees, 


OF  THE  HOUSE.  21 

and  give  splendid  dinners  to  the  members,  to  which  they  were 
invited,  in  certain  numbers  at  a  time,  in  rotation.  His  Satur- 
days are  still  in  one  way  or  other  occupied  with  the  duties  of 
his  office.  It  is  doubtful  even,  with  the  labours  of  the  week 
before  him,  whether  the  "  Sabbath  shines  a  day  of  rest  to  him," 
though  of  course  he  is  protected  on  that  hallowed  day  from 
the  personal  intrusion  of  honourable  members  on  his  retire- 
ment. His  salary  was  formerly  £5,000  a  year,  but  in  1833 
it  was  reduced  to  £4,000;  in  addition  to  his  salary,  however, 
he  receives  fees  to  the  amount  of  £2,000,  or  £3,000,  besides 
£1,000  of  equipment  money,  and  2,000  ounces  of  plate,  which 
are  given  him  immediately  on  his  election ;  he  is  also  allowed 
two  hogsheads  of  claret  wine,  and  £100  for  stationary  every 
year ;  add  to  all  this  the  circumstance  of  his  having  a  hand- 
some residence  provided  for  him  close  to  the  House  of  Com- 
mons at  the  public  expense,  and  the  situation  is  worth  at  least 
£8,000  per  annum.  In  point  of  rank  the  Speaker  is  next  to 
the  Peers  of  Great  Britain,  and  he  has  the  same  precedence 
at  the  King's  council  table.  The  speaker  never  votes  on  any 
question  except  the  numbers  be  equal,  when  his  casting  vote 
decides  the  majority. 

After  the  form  of  the  Speaker  asking  and  receiving  those 
privileges  on  behalf  of  the  members  of  the  House  of  Commons, 
already  referred  to,  has  been  gone  through,  the  King  makes  his 
speech  to  both  Houses.  What  the  usual  character  of  such 
speeches  is,  every  one  already  knows.  The  speech  being  de- 
livered, the  King  withdraws,  and  returns  home,  and  the  Com- 
mons retire  to  their  own  house,  where,  as  in  the  Lords,  an  ad- 
dress in  answer  to  his  Majesty's  most  gracious  speech,  warmly 
approving  of  it,  thanking  him  for  it,  and  echoing  its  every 
sentiment,  is  moved  and  seconded  by  some  of  the  most  zealous 
supporters  of  the  existing  Government.  An  amendment  to 
the  address  is  generally  proposed  by  some  member  of  the  Op- 
position, but  is  almost  invariably  lost  by  a  large  majority  ; 
many  of  the  most  strenuous  opponents  of  the  existing  Adminis- 
tration deeming  it  not  only  a  want  of  courtesy  to  Ministers  to 
oppose  the  Address,  but  a  manifest  mark  of  disrespect  to  the 
King.  At  the  meeting  of  the  present  Parliament,  however, 
the  Opposition  conceived  that,  in  the  extraordinary  circum- 
stances in  which  the  country  and  parties  were  placed,  they 
were  bound  to  sacrifice  all  considerations  of  a  merely  conven- 
tional kind,  and  endeavour  to  overthrow  the  Government  of 
Sir  Robert  Peel  the  very  first  moment  they  could  come  in  col- 
lision with  it.  Hence  an  amendment  to  the  Address  to  the 


•-'','  FORMS,   in  !.!>.   UIXULATIO.VS,  &C. 

King  was  proposed,  and  carried  by  a  majority  of  seven,  in  one 
of  the  fullest  Houses  ever  known,  the  number  present  being 
(ill.  1  ii'-ver  knew  a  question  which,  during  the  discussion, 
excited  greater  interest  than  this,  partly  owing  to  the  impres- 
sion generally  felt  by  both  parties,  that  it  would  be  decisive  of 
the  tiite  of  the  Government,  and  partly  to  the  great  uncer- 
tainty which  existed  as  to  the  vote  to  which  the  House  would 
come. 

During  the  first  two  sessions  of  the  Reformed  Parliament, 
the  House  met  at  twelve  o'clock  for  the  purpose  of  presenting 
petitions  and  transacting  business  of  minor  importance.  These 
sittings  usually  lasted  till  three,  when  the  House  again  ad- 
journed till  five,  at  which  time  the  most  important  business 
commenced.  The  morning  sittings  were  generally  but  thinly 
attended,  the  number  of  members  present  scarcely  ever  ex- 
ceeding fifty  or  sixty.  It  was  soon  found  that  the  plan  of 
having  two  sittings  in  one  day  would  not  answer,  as  it  often 
happened  that  at  the  morning  sitting,  not  a  single  member  of 
Government  was  present  to  answer  any  question  which  ho- 
nourable members  might  have  to  put  to  them.  The  arrange- 
ment was  therefore  abandoned,  and  the  old  practice  resumed, 
on  the  meeting  of  the  present  Parliament.  The  usual  hour  for 
the  Speaker's  now  taking  the  chair  is  half-past  three.  An 
hour  and  a-half  is  generally  spent  in  the  presentation  of  peti- 
tions, and  the  debates  on  motions  begin  a  little  after  five. 

Immediately  on  the  Speaker  taking  the  chair,  the  chaplain 
reads  prayers,  after  which  the  Speaker  counts  the  House, 
when,  if  there  be  not  forty  members  present,  he  declares  it  to 
stand  adjourned  till  the  following  day,  unless  this  happen  on  a 
Friday,  when  it  stands  adjourned  till  Monday.  The  Speaker 
always  wears,  during  the  sittings  of  the  House,  a  large  wig 
and  gown,  and  so  also  do  the  clerks,  but  no  member  is  allowed 
to  appear  in  any  other  than  his  usual  clothes,  except  on  two 
occasions.  One  of  these  is  the  first  day  of  a  new  Parliament, 
when  the  four  members  for  the  City  of  London  wear  scarlet 
gowns,  and  when  they  have  the  privilege  of  sitting  together 
on  the  right  of  the  chair.  The  other  exception  is  in  the  case 
of  the  mover  and  seconder  of  the  Address,  in  answer  to  the 
speech  of  his  Majesty.  These  gentlemen  must  appear,  on  that 
occasion,  in  full  court  dress. 

The  members  who  chance  to  be  in  the  House  before  the  en- 
trance of  the  Speaker  generally  remain  covered,  but  the  mo- 
ment he  appears  they  take  off  their  hats  as  a  mark  of  respect 
to  him.  They  may,  however,  and  generally  do,  immediately 


OF  THE  HOUSE.  23 

after  replace  them  on  their  heads.  The  members  who  after- 
wards enter  the  house,  severally  take  off  their  hats  and  make 
a  bow  to  the  chair  as  they  pass  the  bar.  They  do  the  same  on 
leaving  the  house ;  and  even  in  moving  from  one  part  of  the 
floor  to  another,  though  it  were  only  one  or  two  yards,  they 
always  take  off  their  hats  in  testimony  of  respect  for  the 
Speaker. 

On  ordinary  motions  no  member  is  allowed  to  speak  more 
than  once,  except  it  be  in  the  way  of  explanation ;  but  the 
member  who  made  the  motion  has,  as  in  the  case  of  counsel 
in  the  courts  of  law,  the  privilege  of  reply.  It  sometimes  hap- 
pens, however,  that  a  member  who  has  forgotten  what  he  con- 
ceives some  important  point  in  his  speech,  or  when  something 
new  occurs  to  him,  rises  a  second  time  under  the  pretext  of 
explanation,  but  he  is  in  such  cases  generally  put  down  with 
loud  cries  of  "  Spoke,  spoke ;" — meaning  that  he  has  spoken 
already.  In  Committees  of  the  whole  House,  however,  mem- 
bers are  allowed  to  speak  as  often  as  they  choose,  the  only 
limit  set  to  their  loquacity  being  that  of  the  temper  or  impa- 
tience of  the  House.  When  the  House  is  impatient  for  a  di- 
vision, or  the  member  wishing  to  address  it  is  unpopular,  the 
most  deafening  uproar  is  purposely  raised  to  cause  him  to  de- 
sist by  drowning  his  voice.  I  shall,  in  another  part  of  the 
work,  give  some  specimens  of  such  interruptions. 

One  regulation  of  the  House  not  generally  known  is,  that 
any  member  making  a  motion  cannot  withdraw  it  without  the 
consent  of  the  gentleman  who  seconds  it.  Considerable  in- 
convenience has  sometimes  arisen  from  this.  To  go  no  far- 
ther back  than  the  middle  of  the  last  session,  we  have,  in  the 
case  of  Sir  Samuel  Whalley's  motion  on  the  Assessed  Taxes, 
a  striking  instance.  The  motion  having  been  seconded  by  a 
Tory,  that  party  pressed  it  to  a  division,  though  Sir  Samuel 
expressed  his  most  anxious  wish  to  withdraw  it.  They  saw 
that  at  that  moment  the  Reformers  who  were  opposed  to  the 
Window  Tax,  could  not  vote  for  its  repeal  without  embarrass- 
ing Government,  and  therefore  thought  the  opportunity  an  ex- 
cellent one  for  placing  the  Reform  members,  especially  the  re- 
presentatives of  large  towns,  in  a  false  position  with  their  con- 
stituents. In  this  they  succeeded  in  several  instances  to  their 
heart's  content.  Colonel  Evans  perilled  his  seat  for  West- 
minster by  voting  on  that  occasion  with  the  Government  in 
op|xisitif.>n  to  the  wishes  of  his  constituents,  and  several  other 
members  him;  also  prejudiced  their  personal  interests  by  their 
votes  on  the  same  question. 


•Jl  roil  MS,  in  i.rs,  ima'i.vnoNs,  iV.-. 

No  bill  can  be  brought  into  the  house  without  a  formal 
request  of  leave  tor  that  purpose  having  been  made  and  agreed 
to.  In  the  case  of  public  bills,  this  leave  is  asked  and  obtained 
by  means  of  a  motion  to  that  effect;  on  such  occasions  a  short 
discussion  usually  takes  place  on  the  objects  of  the  bill,  before 
euch  leave  is  granted.  The  debate  on  the  principle  of  the  bill 
is  almost  invariably  deferred  till  the  second  reading.  It  is  a 
very  unusual  tiling  to  refuse  an  honourable  member  leave  to 
bring  in  any  bill,  however  unpopular  its  principle  may  be  with 
the  House.  It  is  conceived  to  be  no  more  than  common 
courtesy  to  the  person  asking  leave  to  bring  in  the  bill,  to 
accord  that  leave  to  him,  and  also  permission  to  read  it  a  first 
time.  If  the  measure  be  disliked,  it  is  thrown  out  on  a  second 
reading.  A  striking  instance,  however,  of  the  want  of  this 
usual  courtesy  occurred  towards  the  end  of  last  June,  when 
Mr.  Fox  Maule,  though  a  member  of  the  Government,  was 
refused  leave  to  bring  in  a  bill  "  for  the  better  protection  of 
tenants'  crops  in  Scotland  from  the  ravages  committed  on  them 
by  several  kinds  of  game." 

Before  obtaining  leave  to  bring  in  a  bill  whose  object  is  to 
obtain  relief  of  a  private  nature,  it  is  necessary  to  present  a 
petition  embodying  the  facts  on  which  the  proposed  measure 
is  founded.  If  these  facts  be  not  disputed,  leave  to  bring  in 
the  bill  is  granted  as  a  matter  of  course ;  but  if  the  facts  are 
questioned,  the  petition  is  referred  to  a  Select  Committee,  who 
inquire  into  the  conflicting  statements,  and  report  their  opinion 
to  the  House.  Leave  is  granted  or  refused  according  to  the 
opinion  expressed  by  the  Committee. 

When  a  bill  is  ready  to  be  brought  in,  leave  having  been 
previously  obtained  for  that  purpose,  the  member  who  asked 
such  permission  stands  at  the  bar  6f  the  house,  and  on  his 
name  being  called  by  the  Speaker,  says,  "  Bill,  Sir."  The 
Speaker  then  says,  "  Please  to  bring  it  up ;"  on  which  the 
member  advances  to  the  table  of  the  house,  and  then  handing 
it  over  to  one  of  the  Clerks,  the  title  is  read  by  him  a  first  time 
as  a  matter  of  form,  and  the  bill  is  ordered  to  stand  for  a  second 
reading  on  any  day  which  the  member  bringing  it  up  may 
appoint  for  the  purpose.  When  a  bill  has  been  read  a  second 
time,  the  question  which  the  Speaker  puts  from  the  chair  is, 
whether  it  shall  be  committed  ;  that  is,  whether  it  shall  be 
referred  to  the  consideration  of  a  Committee  of  the  whole 
House,  or  to  a  Select  Committee.  If  the  bill  be  one  of  great 
and  general  importance,  the  usual  practice  is  to  refer  if  to  a 
Committee  of  the  whole  House  ;  if  only  of  local  or  limited 


OF  THE  IIOLSE.  25 

interest,  it  is  referred  to  a  Select  Committee,  any  member 
naming,  at  pleasure,  the  persons  who  shall  compose  that 
committee.  The  names  of  the  Select  Committee  being  read 
by  the  Clerk,  the  Committee  are  ordered  to  meet  in  the 
Speaker's  chamber  to  take  the  matter  into  consideration ;  and 
when  they  have  made  up  their  minds,  to  report  their  decision 
to  the  House.  The  Committee  accordingly  meet,  and  after 
having  chosen  their  chairman,  either  proceed  clause  by  clause 
with  the  bill,  or  adjourn  to  some  other  time.  When  they  have 
gone  through  the  bill,  the  Chairman,  as  the  representative  of 
the  Committee,  makes  his  report  at  the  side  bar  of  the  house, 
reading  all  the  alterations  which  have  been  made  in  the  bill. 
If  new  clauses  have  been  added  by  the  Committee,  they  are 
marked  alphabetically,  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the  alterations, 
are  read  by  the  Chairman.  They  are  then  handed  to  the 
Clerk,  who  reads  all  the  amendments  and  new  clauses.  The 
Speaker  then  puts  the  question,  whether  the  amendments  and 
additional  clauses  shall  be  read  a  second  time.  If  this  is 
agreed  to,  he  reads  them  himself,  or  if  not  all  agreed  to,  as 
many  of  them  as  have  been  approved  of.  He  next  puts  the 
question,  whether  the  bill  so  amended  shall  be  engrossed — 
which  means,  fairly  written  out  on  parchment — and  read  a 
third  time  on  some  other  day.  If  the  third  reading  be  agreed 
to,  a  day  is  appointed  for  the  purpose,  and  when  read  a  third 
time,  the  Speaker  puts  the  question  "  that  the  bill  do  pass." 
If  this  also  is  agreed  to,  the  words  "  Soit  Bailie  aux  Seigneurs," 
are  written  on  it  by  the  Clerk  ;  after  which  it  is  sent  up  to  the 
Lords  for  their  expected  concurrence.  If  any  new  clauses  are 
proposed  and  agreed  to  after  a  bill  has  been  engrossed,  they 
must  be  also  written  on  parchment,  like  the  bill,  and  are  called 
riders. 

In  Committees  of  the  whole  House,  the  same  discussions 
often  take  place  on  bills  as  on  important  motions. 

When  a  message  is  announced  from  the  Lords  to  the 
Commons,  the  persons  charged  with  which  are  usually  some 
of  the  Masters  in  Chancery,  the  messengers  must  wait  until 
the  business  before  the  House  is  finished  before  they  deliver 
it,  unless  it  happens  that  the  Commons  are  engaged  in  a 
lengthened  debate,  when  from  considerations  of  courtesy  the 
Speaker  intimates  that  the  House  is  ready  to  receive  the 
message.  The  member  who  happens  to  be  addressing  the 
House  at  tin;  time,  immediately  sits  down  till  the  message  is 
delivered  and  the  bearers  of  it  have  retired,  after  which  he 
resumes  his  speech,  and  the  proceedings  go  on  as  usual.  In 
3 


26  FORMS,  un,r,s,  REGULATIONS,  &,c. 

advancing  to  the  chair,  the  messengers,  accompanied  by  the 
Sergeant-at-arms  carrying  the  mace  on  his  shoulder,  make 
three  profound  reverences  to  the  Speaker,  when,  after  deliver- 
ing the  message,  they  withdraw  backwards,  making  three  low 
bows,  as  when  they  approached  the  chair. 

The  mace  always  lies  on  the  table  while  the  Speaker  is  in 
the  chair,  with  the  exception  of  those  occasions,  few  and  far 
between,  on  which  it  is  sent  to  Westminster  Hall,  the  Court 
of  Requests,  or  the  several  Committee-rooms  to  summon  the 
members  to  attend  the  House ;  or  when  the  House  has  resolved 
itself  into  a  Committee  of  the  whole  House,  on  which  occasions 
it  is  laid  under  the  table. 

I  have  already  mentioned,  that  before  proceeding  to  business, 
the  Speaker  must  count  and  see  that  there  are  forty  members 
present.  It  is  not  necessary,  however,  that  this  number  should 
continue  in  the  House  in  order  to  enable  it  to  proceed,  unless, 
indeed,  any  member,  anxious  to  get  rid  of  the  motion  before  it, 
should  move  that  it  be  counted.  This  the  Speaker  must  do  at 
the  suggestion  of  any  member,  when,  if  it  be  found  that  there 
are  not  forty  members  present,  the  House  is  declared  to  stand 
adjourned  till  the  following  day.  When  government  are 
apprehensive  of  being  embarrassed  by  any  question  which  is  to 
be  brought  forward,  and  which  does  not  press  for  an  immediate 
settlement,  they  hint  to  their  leading  friends,  who  communicate 
it  to  the  other  members,  their  wish  that  their  supporters 
should  be  absent,  in  order  that  the  House  may  be  counted  out, 
and  by  that  means  get  rid  of  ihe  question  for  the  session. 
Lest,  however,  their  opponents  should  muster  so  strongly  as 
to  continue  a  House  during  the  discussion,  and  come  to  a 
decision  adverse  to  the  known  views  of  Government,  it  is 
always  arranged  that  a  certain  number  of  the  supporters  of 
Ministers  shall  lounge  about  the  House,  carefully  watching  the 
progress  of  the  question,  and  shaping  their  tactics  accordingly. 
If  they  see  that  on  a  division  Government  would  be  in  a 
minority,  they  immediately  despatch  messengers  to  all  parts 
of  the  town  for  their  friends,  who  hurry  down  to  the  House 
with  an  almost  John  Gilpin  speed.  In  the  mean  time,  some 
of  those  present  prevent  the  House  coming  to  a  division  before 
the  arrival  of  the  absentees,  by  speaking  against  time.  A 
.striking  instance  of  this  occurred  in  the  beginning  of  last 
June,  when  Mr.  Robinson,  the  member  for  Worcester,  brought 
forward  his  motion  respecting  a  Property-tax.  Ministers  and 
their  friends  had  confidently  expected  that  on  that  occasion 
the  House  would  be  counted  out ;  and  Mr.  Ruthven  and  Mr. 


OF  THE  HOUSE.  27 

Brotherton,  both  celebrated  for  moving  that  the  House  be 
counted  out  or  adjourned,  were  present  for  the  purpose.  It  so 
happened,  however,  that  though  at  three  or  four  different 
times  in  the  early  part  of  the  evening,  there  were  only  four  or 
five  more  than  the  requisite  number,  they  could  not  get  their 
object  accomplished.  The  only  member  of  Government  who 
chanced  to  be  present  during  Mr.  Robinson's  speech,  which 
lasted  nearly  two  hours,  was  Mr.  Spring  Rice.  About  nine 
o'clock,  however,  when  there  was  no  longer  any  hope  of 
counting  out  the  House,  and  when  it  was  uncertain  how  soon 
the  question  might  be  pressed  to  a  division,  messengers  were 
despatched  to  Brookes,  to  the  Westminster  Club,  at  24, 
George-street,  and  the  other  places  of  resort  of  the  Liberal 
members;  so  that  in  the  short  space  of  half  an  hour  the 
number  of  melnbers  in  the  house  swelled  from  forty-eight  or 
fifty,  to  about  two  hundred. 

In  a  Committee  of  the  whole  House  eight  members  are 
sufficient  for  the  transaction  of  business.  On  such  occasions, 
the  members  address  themselves  to  the  Chairman  by  name. 
When  the  Speaker  is  in  the  chair,  he  is  always  addressed  by 
the  term  "  Sir,"  and  the  members  are  supposed  to  direct  their 
observations  as  exclusively  to  him  as  if  he  were  the  only 
individual  present  Select  Committees,  and  Committees  of 
Privileges  sit  in  rooms  up  stairs. 

In  choosing  a  Committee  to  try  the  question  of  disputed 
elections,  the  selection  is  by  ballot.  There  must  be  one 
hundred  members  present  before  the  ballot  can  be  proceeded 
with.  Thirty-three  are  ballotted  for,  and  then  each  of  the 
opposing  parties  are  allowed  to  strike  off  eleven  from  the 
number,  the  remaining  eleven  forming  the  Committee.  The 
members  are  sworn  in  the  same  as  a  jury  in  a  court  of  law, 
before  proceeding  to  try  the  question.  It  is  singular  what  a 
disproportion  there  will  sometimes  appear  in  the  number  of 
Liberal  and  Tory  members  whose  names  are  drawn.  In  the 
Committee  chosen  in  June  last  to  try  the  validity  of  Mr. 
O'Dwyer's  second  election  for  Drogheda,  it  so  happened  that 
the  whole  thirty-three  were  decided  Tories ;  but  three  or  four 
of  them  not  being  present  when  their  names  were  mentioned, 
others  were  chosen  in  their  places  who  chanced  to  be  Liberals. 
These,  however,  were  of  course  struck  off  by  the  agent  of 
the  Tory  petitioner  against  Mr.  O'Dwyer's  return,  and  con- 
sequently the  latter  gentleman  had  a  purely  Tory  Committee, 
with  Mr.  Goulburn  for  chairman,  to  decide  on  his  right  to  his 
seat.  He  was  unseated. 


28  FORMS,  RULES,    REGULATIONS,  &,C. 

I  have  mentioned  in  the  previous  chapter,  that  when  a  divi- 
sion takes  place  while  the  House  is  in  a  Committee  of  the 
whole  House,  the  practice  is  to  change  sides,  the  "Ayes" 
taking  the  right  and  the  "Noes"  the  left  of  the  Speaker's 
chair.  Two  members  called  Tellers  are  then  appointed  to 
count  the  numbers  on  each  side  of  the  question.  Some  ludi- 
crous mistakes  occasionally  occur  from  members  not  taking 
the  proper  side  in  time,  in  which  case  their  votes  are  num- 
bered among  the  adverse  party.  In  the  session  of  1834,  Colo- 
nel Evans  happened  to  be  fast  asleep  in  one  of  the  side  gal- 
leries during  a  division  in  Committee  on  a  most  important 
question,  the  nature  of  which,  however,  I  now  forget,  when 
he  was  counted  as  voting  with  the  Tories ;  nor  were  his  slum- 
bers disturbed,  notwithstanding  the  noise  and  bustle  conse- 
quent on  the  opposing  parties  changing  sides,  until  the  loud 
laughter  and  ironical  cheers  of  the  Tories  wrested  the  gallant 
Colonel  from  the  pleasant  embraces  of  Morpheus.  He  looked 
the  incarnation  of  foolishness  on  discovering  the  predicament 
and  the  company  into  which  he  had  brought  himself  by  a  short, 
and  as  he,  doubtless,  under  other  circumstances,  would  have 
thought,  a  harmless  nap. 

When  the  House  divides  on  any  question  without  having 
been  in  Committee,  the  members  go  out  of  the  house,  as  men- 
tioned in  the  first  chapter,  to  the  lobby ;  strangers  having  been 
previously  ordered  to  withdraw  from  the  latter  place.  If  the 
question  on  which  the  House  is  about  to  divide  be  whether  any 
bill,  petition,  &c.  is  to  be  brought  in,  the  "  Ayes,"  or  approvers 
of  the  motion,  go  out ;  but  if  the  division  is  to  be  on  any  mat- 
ter which  the  House  was  before  possessed  of,  the  "  Noes,"  or 
opponents  of  the  motion  go  out.  The  Speaker  appoints  four 
Tellers,  two  of  whom  are  for  and  two  against  the  motion,  to 
take  the  respective  numbers  on  every  division.  The  Tellers 
first  count  those  who  remain  in  the  house,  and  then  placing 
themselves  in  the  passage  between  the  bar  and  the  door,  count 
those  who  were  without  as  they  re-enter.  The  two  Tellers 
who  have  the  majority,  then  take  the  right  hand,  and  the  other 
t\vo  the  left,  when  they  advance  abreast  towards  the  Speaker, 
making  three  bows  or  inclinations  of  the  head  as  a  testimony 
of  their  respect  for  him.  When  they  reach  the  table  they 
deliver  the  numbers  written  on  a  small  piece  of  paper,  saying: 
"  The  Ayes  that  went  out  are  so  many,  the  Noes  who  remained 
nre  so  many,"  or  otherwise  as  the  case  may  happen.  The 
numbers  are  repeated  by  the  Speaker,  who  also  declares  the 
majority,  and  whether  for  or  against  the  motion. 


OF  THE  HOUSE.  29 

When  the  House  divides  the  gallery  is  cleared  of  strangers, 
the  Speaker  saying  at  the  full  stretch  of  his  voice,  and  looking 
up  to  the  gallery,  "  Strangers  must  withdraw."  The  officers 
repeat  the  Speaker's  orders,  and  in  about  half  a  minute  the 
place  is  empty.  The  object  of  excluding  strangers  when  a 
division  takes  place,  is  to  prevent  members  being  influenced 
when  giving  their  votes,  by  their  presence.  The  arrange- 
ment or  regulation,  however,  is  a  very  unnecessary  one,  as  on 
every  important  question  the  names  of  the  members  who  voted, 
and  the  way  in  which  they  voted,  are  given  in  the  newspapers 
of  the  following  day. 

Though  strangers  are  admitted  into  the  gallery  during  the 
debates,  it  is  only  by  sufferance.  There  is  a  standing  order 
of  the  House  against  the  presence  of  any  other  than  the  mem- 
bers ;  and  a  member  has  only  to  say  to  the  Speaker,  "  I  think 
I  see  strangers  in  the  gallery,"  which  is  the  phraseology  em- 
ployed in  such  a  case,  to  have  it  cleared  at  once,  the  Speaker 
being  bound  to  order  strangers  to  withdraw  that  moment. 
When,  in  the  session  of  1833,  Mr.  O'Connell  had  his  memo- 
rable quarrel  with  the  Reporters,  and  they  refused  to  report 
his  speeches,  he  determined  on  preventing  the  publication  of 
any  other  member's  speeches,  or  any  of  the  proceedings,  by 
enforcing  the  regulations  of  the  House  for  the  exclusion  of  the 
public.  He  first  looked  up  to  the  gallery,  and  then  addressing 
the  Speaker  in  the  terms  above  quoted,  the  latter  immediately 
ordered  strangers  to  withdraw.  The  members  then  proceeded 
to  deliberate  and  debate  with  closed  doors ;  but  the  absence  of 
strangers  and  reporters  had  a  most  paralysing  effect  on  their 
eloquence.  There  was  no  animation  in  their  manner — scarcely 
any  attempt  at  that  wit  and  sarcasm  at  each  other's  expense 
so  often  made  on  other  occasions.  Their  speeches  were  dull 
in  the  highest  degree,  and  for  the  first  time  within  my  recol- 
lection they  kept  their  word  when,  on  commencing  their  ora- 
tions, they  promised  not  to  trespass  at  any  length  on  the  pa- 
tience of  the  House.  Their  speeches  had  certainly  the  merit 
of  being  short :  I  cannot  say  they  were  sweet.  The  secret  of 
all  this  was,  they  knew  their  eloquence  would  not  grace  the 
newspapers  of  the  following  morning.  The  empty  gallery 
gave  the  House  a  most  melancholy  appearance  inside,  and  out- 
side it  was  no  better.  A  stray  person  was  here  and  there  to 
be  seen  in  the  stairs  or  passages  leading  to  the  house,  which 
only  served  to  make  the  general  dullness  of  the  place  more 
striking.  The  lobby,  which  used  to  be  so  crowded,  and  to  be 
the  scene  of  so  much  bustle  and  animation,  was  altogether 
3* 


30  POHMS,  Uri/TS,  REGULATIONS.  &C. 

deserted.  The  door-keeper's  office  was  a  sinecure;  there 
\vere  no  intruders  to  keep  out  of  the  house,  lie  \v;is  a  ttnli- 
Idin  ;  but  for  th<;  circumstance  of  a  member  at  unusually  long 
intervals  making  bis  exit  and  his  entrance,  he  must  luive  fan- 
cied himself  a  second  Alexander  Selkirk,  the  sole  inhabitant 
of  some  desolate  place. 

The  law  which  excludes  strangers  from  the  gallery,  neces- 
sarily implies  the  illegality  of  publishing  the  proceedings  of 
the  House.  But  not  only  is  such  publication  prohibited  by 
implication,  there  is  an  express  statute  to  that  effect.  The 
reports  therefore  of  the  speeches  of  members,  and  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  House,  are  only  by  sufferance,  like  the  admis- 
sion of  strangers  to  the  gallery ;  and  every  journal  in  the 
kingdom  which  gives  any  such  report  is  liable  to  be  prosecu- 
ted, and  punished,  for  a  violation  of  the  rules  and  a  contempt 
of  the  authority  of  the  House.  The  law,  however,  lias  been 
a  dead  letter  in  this  respect,  ever  since  newspapers  began  the 
practice  of  reporting  the  proceedings  of  Parliament. 

It  is  one  of  the  rules  of  the  House,  that  no  motion  on  any 
important  question  be  brought  forward  without  the  member 
who  is  to  submit  it,  having  given  due  notice  of  such  intention. 
The  more  important  the  question  to  which  the  motion  refers, 
it  is  usual  to  give  the  longer  notice.  When  the  day  arrives, 
the  name  of  the  member  who  gave  notice  of  the  motion  is 
called  by  the  Speaker,  in  the  order  of  time  in  which  it  appears 
on  the  order-book,  and  if  he  do  not  answer  when  thus  called 
on,  the  motion  is  of  necessity  indefinitely  postponed.  But  a 
member  may  postpone  his  motion  to  any  future  day  he  pleases, 
by  giving  notice  to  the  House  to  that  effect.  I  have  often 
known  a  motion  to  be  postponed  six  or  seven  different  times 
in  the  course  of  one  session,  owing  to  the  altered  circum- 
stances of  parties  between  the  time  of  giving  the  notice  and 
the  day  fixed  for  bringing  it  forward,  and  the  necessity,  at  the 
same  time,  of  not  altogether  in  appearance  dropping  the  sub- 
ject, lest  the  honourable  member  should  thereby  compromise 
his  interests  with  his  constituents.  The  notice  of  a  motion 
for  a  revision  of  the  Pension  List,  given  by  Mr.  Harvey  on  the 
meeting  of  the  present  Parliament,  and  postponed  time  after 
time,  till  at  last  the  session  ended  without  its  being  brought 
forward  at  all,  is  a  case  in  point.  Mr.  Harvey  gave  notice  of 
the  motion  when  the  Tories  were  in  power,  and  when  they 
were  displaced  by  his  own  party,  he  was  naturally  anxious  not 
to  embarrass  the  latter  by  bringing  it  forward. 

If  a  member  make  a  motion  and  lose  it,  on  any  given  sub- 


OF  THE  HOUSE.  31 

ject,  the  same  motion  cannot  be  again  made  during  the  ses- 
sion, either  by  the  member  himself  or  by  any  other  in  the 
house  ;  but  the  ppirit  of  this  regulation  is  sometimes  evaded 
by  honourable  members  bringing  forward  a  motion  substan- 
tially the  same  but  differently  framed.  This,  however,  is  not 
often  done,  as  it  is  generally  considered  a  proof  of  a  factious 
opposition  to  the  existing  Government,  if  not  of  want  of  re- 
spect to  the  House  itself. 

It  is  a  fact  not  generally  known,  that  any  person  chosen  as 
member  by  any  constituency,  though  not  only  without  his  own 
consent,  but  contrary  to  his  most  positively  expressed  wishes, 
is  bound  by  the  laws  of  the  House,  which  in  such  cases  are 
the  law  of  the  land,  to  serve  in  Parliament,  unless  he  is  able 
to  satisfy  the  House  that  he  is  disqualified  for  the  duties  of 
such  a  situation.  If  the  House  do  not  concur  in  the  grounds 
which  lie  pleads  for  exemption  from  the  office  of  legislator, 
and  he  notwithstanding  is  not  present  when  his  name  is  called 
over,  he  is  at  once  ordered  into  the  custody  of  the  Sergeant- 
at-Arms,  which  subjects  him  to  an  expense  of  eight  or  ten 
guineas  per  day.  From  such  custody  the  party  is  usually  re- 
leased on  the  motion  of  some  friend,  on  making  the  necessary 
concessions,  and  paying  the  usual  fees.  On  Wednesday, 
March  the  17th,  1831,  Lord  F.  L.  Gower,  and  Messrs.  Maber- 
ley  and  S.  L.  Stephens,  were  ordered  into  custody  for  not  an- 
swering to  their  names  when  called.  Lord  F.  L.  Gower,  be- 
ing a  knight  of  the  shire,  had  to  pay  j£10.  10s.  before  he  was 
discharged,  and  the  others,  being  only  burgesses,  paid  £8.  8s. 
each. 

A  member,  when  duly  elected,  is  not  only  compelled  to 
serve  in  Parliament,  but  he  cannot  at  any  future  period  either 
resign  his  seat  or  be  expelled  from  the  house  except  by  some 
legal  disqualification.  In  order,  therefore,  to  meet  the  views 
of  those  members  who  may  wish  to  resign  their  seats,  it  has 
been  the  practice,  ever  since  the  year  1750,  for  such  members 
to  accept  the  office  of  Steward  of  the  Chiltern  Hundreds, 
which  being  an  appointment  under  the  Crown,  their  seats  are 
of  necessity  vacated.  The  office,  however,  is  a  merely  nomi- 
nal one.  The  stewards  who  accept  it  desire  neither  honour 
nor  emolument  from  it,  the  only  salary  attached  to  the  ap- 
pointment being  twenty  shillings  a-year.  The  Chiltern  Hun- 
dreds are  districts  in  Buckinghamshire,  belonging  to  the  Crown. 
The  appointment  to  the  office  of  Steward  of  these  Hundreds 
is  vested  in  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  who,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  grants  it  to  every  member  who  applies  for  it. 


32  FORMS,  RULES,  &C.  OF  THE  HOV8E. 

Any  member  may  at  any  time,  and  in  the  midst  of  any  dis- 
cussion, move  the  adjournment  of  the  House.  It  is  true  that 
the  mere  moving  of  the  adjournment  does  not  compel  the 
House  to  adjourn ;  but  if  the  member  so  moving  it  persevere 
in  his  motion,  he  is  sure  to  succeed.  He  can  force  the  House 
to  divide  on  the  question  whether  it  shall  adjourn  or  not,  and 
the  moment  the  division  is  over  he  can  again,  if  carried 
against  him,  move  it  and  compel  a  division  as  often  as  he 
pleases,  thus  completely  putting  an  end  to  the  transaction  of 
any  business.  The  celebrated  Mr.  Sheridan,  on  one  occasion, 
moved  the  adjournment  of  the  House  nineteen  successive 
times,  and  had  nineteen  divisions  on  the  subject,  the  one  fol- 
lowing the  other  as  fast  as  they  could  be  taken.  The  House, 
seeing  it  was  only  wasting  time  to  resist  the  adjournment  any 
longer,  at  last  reluctantly  yielded.  Mr.  Sheridan's  object 
was  to  prevent  the  House  coming  to  some  important  resolu- 
tion, the  precise  nature  of  which  I  do  not  at  this  moment  re- 
collect, respecting  the  war  at  that  time  going  on  with  France, 
until  the  country  should  be  apprized  of  it.  He  succeeded  in 
his  object. 


HISCELLANEOUS  OBSERVATIONS.  33 

CHAPTER  III. 

MISCELLANEOUS  OBSERVATIONS. 

WHEN  a  motion  on  any  important  question  is  fixed  for  a 
particular  night,  and  it  is  understood  that  the  member  bring- 
ing it  forward  is  anxious  to  proceed  with  it,  honourable  mem- 
bers who  had  other  notices  of  less  important  motions  on  the 
order-book,  generally  give  way  in  his  favour.  On  such  occa- 
sions the  house,  though  usually  not  containing  a  hundred 
members,  and  often  not  half  that  number,  when  the  Speaker 
takes  the  chair,  soon  gets  filled,  and  generally  continues 
crowded  till  the  debate  is  finished,  even  though  it  should  be 
adjourned  for  three  or  four  successive  nights.  The  time  at 
which  the  house  is  usually  thinnest  is  from  eight  to  ten 
o'clock,  when  any  members  preferring  the  more  solid  qualities 
of  a  good  dinner  to  "  the  feast  of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul," 
vacate  their  seats  in  Westminster  that  they  may  fill  one  at 
a  well- furnished  table  in  their  own  houses,  or  in  those  of  some 
friend.  Hence  it  very  rarely  happens  that  any  of  the  best 
speakers  address  the  House  before  ten  o'clock, — not  wishing, 
of  course,  to  waste  their  eloquence  on  comparatively  empty 
benches.  A  succession  of  fourth  or  fifth-rate  orators  will 
almost  invariably  be  found  "  on  their  legs"  from  the  meeting 
of  the  House  until  that  hour.  They  know  that  after  ten 
o'clock  there  is  not  the  remotest  chance  of  their  getting  an 
opportunity  of  delivering  their  sentiments ;  and  hence,  when 
one  has  finished  his  speech,  they  often  rise  in  shoals  of  six  or 
seven  at  once,  each  hoping  he  will  be  the  fortunate  person  in 
catching  the  Speaker's  eye.  The  other  members  in  such  a 
case  shout  the  names  of  the  honourable  gentlemen  who  have 
risen  whom  they  are  severally  anxious  to  see  "  in  possession 
of  the  House ;"  but  the  word  of  the  Speaker  settles  the  ques- 
tion as  to  which  of  the  candidates  for  senatorial  fame  is  to 
proceed.  He  mentions  aloud  the  name  of  the  orator  who  first 
caught  his  eye,  and  the  others  immediately  resume  their  seats, 
while  he  commences  his  speech. 

The  usual  practice  of  the  Speaker  during  any  important 
debate  is  to  "  fix  his  eye"  on  a  member  from  each  side  of  the 
house,  or  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  question,  alternately  ;  so 
that  from  the  beginning  of  any  discussion  till  the  end,  how- 


3  1  MISCELLANEOUS  OBSERVATIONS. 

ever  many  nights  it  may  last,  every  successive  speaker  either 
answers,  or  is  supposed  to  rise  to  answer,  the  speaker  who  im- 
mediately preceded  him.  Of  course,  in  such  cases,  he  may 
nisi)  answer  those  honourable  gentlemen  on  the  adverse  side 
who  may  have  spoken  at  any  previous  stage  of  the  debate, 
and  who  lie  thinks  has  not  been  fully  or  triumphantly  answered 
by  those  of  his  own  party  who  preceded  him.  When  the 
Speaker  observes  signs  of  impatience  for  a  division  to  be 
general  in  the  house,  he  makes  jt  his  invariable  practice  to 
single  out  from  those  members  who  simultaneously  rise  when 
the  last  speaker  has  sat  down,  the  leading  men  on  each  side 
of  the  question.  This  brings  the  debate  to  a  close,  because 
the  House  would  inevitably  clamour  down  any  person  who 
would  have  the  temerity  to  attempt  to  address  it  after  the 
most  influential  members  on  both  sides  of  the  question  had 
spoken.  Were  not  this  plan  adopted,  and  were  the  Speaker 
to  go  on  calling  on  the  "  little  men,"  as  they  are  termed,  to 
proceed  in  their  harangues,  as  they  successively  arise,  discus- 
sions would  often  extend  to  as  many  weeks  as  they  do  days. 
Had  the  Speaker  allowed  every  "  minor  member"  who  on  the 
debate,  last  session,  on  the  Irish  Church  Appropriation  Bill 
endeavoured  to  "  catch  his  eye,"  instead  of  lasting  only  four 
days,  it  would  have  been  protracted  for  at  least  as  many 
weeks. 

After  ten  o'clock,  the  members  who  have  been  to  dinner 
are  to  be  seen  trooping  into  the  house,  and  by  eleven  they  are 
generally  all  returned,  as  after  that  hour  it  is  uncertain,  when 
there  has  been  a  protracted  discussion,  how  soon  a  division 
may  take  place.  However  much  improved  otherwise  by  a 
good  dinner  and  its  accompaniments,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to 
say  that  honourable  members,  on  their  return  to  the  house, 
are  not  always  in  a  better  condition  for  the  discharge  of  their 
legislative  duties.  However,  there  is  little  difficulty  in  utter- 
ing either  of  the  monosyllables  "  Aye"  or  "  No,"  and  as  their 
minds  are,  in  almost  every  instance,  made  up  before-hand  as 
to  which  of  the  two  words  they  will  pronounce  when  it  is 
their  turn  to  vote,  they  contrive  to  acquit  themselves  tolerably 
well. 

The  practice  of  so  many  members  leaving  the  house  to  go 
to  dinner  between  seven  and  eight  o'clock  and  generally  not 
returning  before  ten,  endangered  the  existence,  on  one  occa- 
sion, of  the  Melbourne  Ministry,  soon  after  its  re-accession  to 
office.  The  measure  before  the  House  was  one  of  great  im- 
portance, and  about  nine  o'clock  there  were  only  about  two 


MISCELLANEOUS  OBSERVATIONS.  35 

hundred  and  fifty  members  present,  the  great  majority  of 
whom  were  Tories.  The  latter  saw  the  preponderance  of 
their  numbers,  and  accordingly  shouted  out  "  Divide,  divide !" 
They  also  endeavoured,  though  without  effect,  to  put  down  by 
clamour  those  members  from  the  Ministerial  side  of  the  House 
who  rose  to  prolong  the  discussion  until  their  friends  should 
return.  The  debate  was  kept  up  till  half-past  twelve,  when 
the  division  took  place.  The  number  of  members  then  present 
was  upwards  of  six  hundred,  and  the  majority  in  favour  of 
Ministers  exceeded  thirty. 

The  house  has  a  very  different  appearance  at  different  times. 
When  there  is  no  interesting  question  before  it,  its  empty 
seats  give  it  a  cheerless  aspect;  and  the  extent  to  which  this 
operates  both  on  speakers  and  listeners  is  incredible.  It  is 
next  to  impossible,  in  such  a  case,  to  make  a  lively  or  eloquent 
speech,  or  even  suppose  it  were  both  lively  and  eloquent,  it 
always  fails  to  produce  an  impression.  Though  the  voting 
•  away  of  the  public  money,  when  the  miscellaneous  estimates 
are  under  consideration,  is  unquestionably  one  of  the  most 
important  and  responsible  duties  which  devolve  on  a  British 
legislator,  it  so  happens  that  when  this  is  being  done,  there  is 
invariably  a  less  number  of  members  present  than  on  any 
other  occasion.  The  greatest  number  I  have  known  in  the 
house  when  the  public  money  was  in  the  act  of  being  voted 
away,  scarcely  ever  exceeded  eighty  or  ninety ;  while  from 
fifty  to  sixty  is  the  usual  number.  On  such  occasions,  espe- 
cially after  twelve  o'clock,  you  see  nothing  but  languor  in  the 
faces  and  manner  of  those  honourable  members  who  continue 
to  sit  in  an  upright  position ;  while  a  considerable  portion  of 
them  are  either  leaning  with  their  heads  on  the  benches,  or 
stretched  out  at  full  length  with  their  eyes,  like  those  of 
Shakspeare's  shipboy,  "  sealed  up"  by  sleep,  "  Nature's  soft 
nurse."  The  strangers  in  the  gallery  who  chance  to  be  there 
for  the  first  time,  are  always  amazed  beyond  measure  at  seeing 
any  portion  of  their  representatives  thus  enjoying  their  repose 
while  matters  of  the  deepest  importance  are  transacting  in 
the  house.  They  are  surprised  to  see  those  who  were  so 
bustling  and  animated  on  the  hustings,  and  so  prodigal  of 
pledges  to  oppose  every  improper  grant  of  the  public  money, 
not  only  dull  and  drowsy  in  the  house,  but  "  sleeping  it  out" 
while  millions  are  voted  away  for  all  sorts  of  objects,  good, 
bad,  and  indifferent.  Strangers  do  not,  of  course,  return  home 
with  any  very  exalted  opinion  either  of  the  integrity  or  dig- 
nity of  the  legislators  themselves,  or  of  the  qualities  necessary 


30  MIS(  I'M.AM-OVS 

to  constitute  a  so-called  representative  of  the  people.*  But 
when,  as  already  stated,  a  <mestion  of  commanding  interest  in 
1o  he  discussed,  tin1  house  is  lull  soon  after  tlie  Speaker  takes 
the  chair,  and  continues  so,  except  from  right  to  ten  o'clock, 
till  it  either  divides  or  adjourns.  There  arc  no  sleepers  or 
shnuberers  then.  In  the  old  house  there  was  not  sitting 
room,  tiir  less  room  to  recline  in  a  horizontal  position;  in  the 
present  house,  including  the  galleries,  there  are  seats  enough, 
but  not  more.  When  the  house  is  full  it  has  a  very  cheerful 
appearance,  and  greatly  adds  to  the  intrinsic  interest  of  the 
'.nigs.  On  such  occasions,  you  will  sometimes  see  h'lly 
or  sixty  members  standing  at  the  bar  at  the  same  time.  I 
have  often  seen  it  so  blocked  up  that  it  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  a  member  could  make  his  way  either  in  or  out. 
When  this  is  the  case,  or  when  there  is  a  great  noise  from 
lion,  members  speaking  and  laughing  together,  the  Speaker 
and  other  members  in  different  parts  of  the  house,  call  out 
"  Order  at  the  bar  !"— "  Bar!  bar!  bar!" 

There  is  nothing  which  more  forcibly  strikes  a  stranger  who 
is  in  the  house  for  the  first  time,  than  the  noise  and  levity 
which  almost  invariably  prevail  in  the  House,  except  when 
some  popular  or  talented  member  is  addressing  it.  At  these 
times,  the  Speaker's  voice  is  drowned  amidst  the  talking  and 
laughing  which  are  going  on  in  all  parts  of  the  house.  I  have 
known  members  speak  for  half  an  hour  at  the  time,  without 
one  single  sentiment  they  uttered  being  known  to  one  out  of 
ten  in  the  house.  The  house  on  such  occasions  is  a  scene  of 
perfect  confusion,  and  the  noise  is  sometimes  so  great  as  to  be 
heard  distinctly  in  the  street  outside,  a  distance  of  forty  of 
fifty  yards,  and  this,  too,  though  the  doors  are  all  shut. 

I  recollect,  when  I  first  entered  the  house,  being  struck  with 
the  great  number  of  bald-headed  members.  The  number  is 
greater  in  this  Parliament  than  in  any  previous  one  within  my 
remembrance.  I  have  sometimes  had  occasion  to  calculate 
the  number  of  bald  la-ads  in  the  house  at  once,  and  have  found 
them  to  be  nearly  a  third  of  all  present.  Taking  the  whole 
nix  hundred  and  fifty-eight,  I  should  think  that  perhaps  a 
fourth  part  are  more  or  less  bald-headed. 

The  dress  of  honourable  members  varies  with  the  season. 


*  It  is  a  fact  which  a  sense  of  impartiality  compels  me  to  state, 
tliat  the  must  Haming  patriots  are  generally  those  who  most  fre- 
fjuenlly  neglect  their  duty  on  these  occasions. 


MISCELLANEOUS  OBSERVATIONS.  87 

In  the  spring  months,  the  prevailing  colour  is  black  from  head 
to  foot ;  but  in  the  summer  season  the  great  majority  wear 
light-coloured  inexpressibles  and  waistcoats.  The  last  two 
sessions  were  remarkable  for  the  number  of  white  hats  in  the 
house.  Considerably  more  than  a  majority  of  the  members,  I 
am  sure,  wore  white  hats  last  session. 

The  number  of  red  heads  in  the  house  is  also  remarkable. 
I  should  think  they  are  hardly  less  numerous  than  the  bald 
heads.  When  I  come  to  advert  to  individual  members  of  dis- 
tinction, it  cannot  fail  to  strike  the  reader  how  many  of  them 
are  red-headed. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  noise  and  confusion  that  often  prevail 
in  the  house  when  a  fourth  or  fifth-rate  speaker  is  addressing 
it.  When  a  popular  member  belonging  to  either  party  is  on 
his  legs,  he,  again,  is  sure,  especially  if  speaking  on  a  party 
question,  to  be  applauded  to  the  echo  by  those  who  hold  the 
same  principles  as  himself.  For  example,  Sir  Robert  Peel 
may  at  all  times  rely  on  the  vociferous  applause  of  the  Tories ; 
Lord  John  Russell  on  that  of  the  Whigs ;  and  Mr.  O'Connell 
on  that  of  the  Radical  or  Movement  party.  In  applauding 
their  respective  favourites,  honourable  members  give  full  play 
to  their  lungs.  Their  cheers  are  sometimes  deafening  in  the 
house,  and  are  often  distinctly  heard  at  a  great  distance  from 
it.  In  the  new  houses,  which  are  near  each  other,  the  cheers 
given  in  the  Commons  often  disturb  the  more  grave  delibera- 
tions of  the  Lords.  But  it  is  on  an  important  division  that  the 
Stentorian  capabilities  of  the  Commons  are  heard  to  most  ad- 
vantage. I  have  often  heard  the  triumphant  party  give  such 
rounds  of  applause  on  the  Speaker's  announcing  the  numbers, 
as  literally  made  the  ears  of  honourable  members  ring  again. 
When  Sir  Robert  Peel  was  last  session  defeated  on  the  Church 
Appropriation  question,  such  was  the  exultation  of  the  Liberal 
party,  that  some  of  them,  not  content  with  hurraing  at  the  top 
of  their  voice,  actually  took  off  their  hats  and  whirled  them  in 
the  air. 

Of  other  kinds  of  sounds  which  are  often  to  be  heard  in  the 
house,  I  shall  have  occasion  to  say  something  in  the  following 
chapter. 

There  are  several  naval  members  in  the  house,  who,  though 
they  have  as  large  an  allowance  of  good  judgment — in  some 
instances  more — as  those  members  who  have  spent  all  their 
ihiys  in  polished  society, — yet  have  lost  much  of  their  earlier 
litr-rary  acquirements.  There  in  more  than  one  of  these — and 
there  arc  several  members  who  have  chiefly  spent  their  time 
4 


38  Mi-rELLANEOVS  OBSERVATIONS. 

in  rural  retirement  in  the  same  predicament — \vlio  liave  for- 
gotten tin-  first  rudiments  of  their  orthography.  I  could  men- 
tion several  amusing  instance's  of  such  blunders  committed  by 
M.  I'.'s;  but  let.  ene  suffice.  A  worthy  \Vel<-h  baronet,  dis- 
tinguished for  his  maritime  exploits,  v.as  lately  asked  by  one 
of  his  constituents  who  chanced  to  be  in  town  at  the  time,  for 
an  order  of  admission  into  the  house.  With  his  characteristic 

disposition  to  oblige,  Sir immediately  complied  with 

the  request,  and  wrote  an  order  in  the  usual  terms,  and  ad- 
dressed it  thus — "  To  the  Door  Ceepor  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons." The  person  for  whom  it  was  intended,  discovered 
the  error  in  the  spelling  after  he  had  gone  ten  or  twelve  yards 
from  the  worthy  baronet,  and  turning  back  and  running  up  to 

him  said,  "Oh,  Sir  there  is  a  mistake  in  the  word 

"  keeper;"  you  have  spelt  it  with  a  c  instead  of  a  k."  "A 
mistake  !"  responded  the  baronet,  taking  the  order  into  his 
hand,  "  Not  a  bit  of  a  mistake  is  there  in  it,  both  ways  are 
right — quite  right  my  friend,"  at  the  same  time  returning  the 
order  uncorrected  to  his  constituent. 

Time  after  time  have  I  been  struck  with  the  extraordinary 
instances  of  a  retentive  memory,  aiTorded  by  the  ease  and  ac- 
curacy with  which  members  repeat  long  speeches  which  they 
had  previously  learned  by  heart ;  but  the  most  striking  in- 
stance of  this  kind  I  ever  witnessed — and  I  question  if  there 
be  a  parallel  to  it  in  the  history  of  Parliamentary  debates — 
was  in  the  case  of  Mr.  R.  Tennant,  the  member  for  Belfast. 
This  gentleman,  on  the  occasion  of  Mr.  O'Connell's  motion 
for  a  repeal  of  the  Union,  in  1834,  actually  repeated  a  speech 
against  the  measure,  without  the  least  hesitation  in  a  sin- 
gle instance,  or  the  slightest  mistake, — which  Occupied  him 
three  hours  and  a-half  in  the  delivery  ;  and — which  renders 
the  effort  still  more  surprising — it  was  a  speech  which  was 
full  of  minute  calculations  and  figures.  He  mentioned  the 
circumstance  to  some  of  his  friends  at  the  time,  and  was  so 
confident  of  the  trust-worthiness  of  his  memory,  that  he  sent 
the  manuscript  of  his  speech  to  the  newspapers  before  he  de- 
livered it. 

Those  unacquainted  with  the  secrets  of  the  prison-house, 
would  naturally  infer  that  those  members  of  opposite  politics 
whom  they  see  night  after  night  so  heartily  abusing  each 
other,  were  not  on  friendly  terms  together.  There  are  some 
eases  in  \vhich  the  conclusion  would  be  just:  in  the  great  ma- 
jority it  would  not.  Before  and  after  the  dissolution  of  Sir 
Robert  Peel's  Government,  the  Right  Honourable  Baronet  and 


MISCELLANEOUS  OBSERVATIONS.  39 

Lord  John  Russell  were  often  seen  in  most  friendly  conversa- 
tion together.  Some  weeks  after  the  meeting-  of  the  present 
Parliament,  Mr.  Hughes  Hughes,  the  member  for  Oxford, 
made  a  most  violent  attack  on  Mr.  O'Connell,  pointedly  re- 
ferring among  other  things,  to  his  ordering  death's-heads  and 
cross-bones  to  be  painted  over  the  doors  of  those  electors  who 
would  not  vote  for  his  nominee  in  the  county  of  Cork.  Mr. 
O'Connell  repelled  the  attack  with  equal  violence,  and  retort- 
ed, as  he  did  to  Mr.  Shaw,  the  member  for  the  University  of 
Dublin,  on  another  occasion,  that  Mr.  Hughes'  head  was  a 
calf's  head.  Some  nights  afterwards  both  gentlemen  were 
seen  walking  arm-in-arm  up  Parliament  street,  on  their  way 
home  from  the  house. 


40  srrjjKs  IN  Tin:  norsi:. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


SCENES  IN  THE  HOUSE. 

THFRE  are  two  kinds  of  scenes  which  occasionally  take 
place  in  the  house.  The  one  chiefly  consists  in  the  personal 
altercations  and  mutual  criminations  which  now  and  then  oc- 
cur between  two  particular  members,  who  are  almost  inva- 
riably of  opposite  politics.  The  other  description  of  scenes  is 
of  a  more  general  nature,  the  pei  formers  being  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  members  present.  These  latter  scenes  generally 
have  their  origin  in  the  indisposition  of  the  House  to  hear  any 
further  speeches  on  a  particular  question,  except  from  some  of 
the  leading  members.  As  a  fair  specimen  of  the  first  kind  of 
scenes  I  give  the  following,  because  it  is  short,  and  also  be- 
cause it  is  of  late  occurrence.  It  took  place  in  July  last,  when 
the  House  was  in  a  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means.  The 
immediate  circumstance  which  gave  rise  to  it,  if  I  remember 
rightly,  was  a  proposed  grant  of  a  certain  sum  to  assist  in  de- 
fraying the  expenses  of  the  education  of  Roman  Catholics  in 
Maynooth  College.  Mr.  Shaw,  the  member  for  the  University 
of  Dublin,  contended,  in  opposing  the  grant,  that  the  .Estab- 
lished Church,  and  it  alone,  ought  to  be  supported  by  the 
State.  When  he  had  concluded  his  speech, 

Mr.  O'Connell  rose  and  said,  "The  honourable  member 
(Mr.  Shaw)  has  expressed  his  opinions  in  a  manner  which  can 
do  no  good  service  to  his  cause.  There  was  a  determination 
about  him  amounting  almost  to  a  spiritual  ferocity.  He  seems 
to  think  that  the  Protestant  religion  consists  of  pounds,  shil- 
lings, and  pence." 

Mr.  Shaw  (with  great  vehemence) — "I  deny  that  I  said 
that  the  Protestant  religion  consists  of  pounds,  shillings,  and 
pence.  But  the  Church  establishment  of  any  country  must  be 
supported  by  money,  and  that  Church  which  the  State  endowed 
with  money  become  the  Established  Church.  In  such  a  situa.- 
tion  stands  the  Church  which  the  honourable  and  learned 
member  for  Dublin  has  sworn  not  to  subvert,  and  which  he 
now  attempts  to  subvert." 

Loud  cries  of  "  Order !  order !"  now  proceeded  from  the 


SCENES  IN  THE  HOUSE.  41 

ministerial  side  of  the  House.  The  Irish  members  shouted 
the  words  with  one  voice. 

Mr.  O'Connell  (with  the  greatest  warmth  and  violence  of 
gesture) — "  I  call  the  honourable  Recorder  to  order.  He  has 
made  use  of  a  false  assertion." 

Here  Mr.  O'Connell's  voice  was  drowned  amidst  the  deaf- 
ening cries  of  "  Order !"  which  proceeded  from  all  parts  of 
the  Opposition  side  of  the  house.  A  number  of  honourable 
members  rose  at  once,  and  accompanied  the  words  with  a 
corresponding  violence  of  gesture.  It  is  impossible  to  describe 
the  confusion  of  the  scene. 

Mr.  O'Connell  resumed. — "  The  honourable  member  has 
accused  me  of  having  sworn  one  thing  and  done  another.  It 
is  quite  out  of  order  for  a  member  to  utter  falsehoods." 

Here  the  Opposition,  almost  in  a  body,  shouted  "  Order ! 
order  !"  at  the  full  stretch  of  their  voice,  mingled  with  cries 
of  "Chair,  chair!"  It  was  some  time  before  any  measure  of 
order  was  restored.  When  the  uproar  had  somewhat  abated, 

Mr.  Finn  said,  "  I  pronounce  the  expression  which  has  been 
uttered  by  the  learned  member  for  the  Dublin  University  to  be 
an  atrocious  calumny."  The  latter  terms  were  pronounced 
with  an  emphasis,  and  were  accompanied  with  a  vehemence 
of  gesture,  that  defy  description. 

The  confusion  and  uproar  which  now  ensued,  owing  to  the 
cries  of  "Chair,  Chair!"  and  "Order,  order!"  which  burst 
from  the  Opposition  side  of  the  house,  with  the  rising  of  many 
of  the  members  from  their  seats,  exceeded  any  thing  which 
can  be  imagined.  In  vain  did  Mr.  Bernal  endeavour,  as 
Chairman  of  the  Committee,  to  restore  order.  His  voice  was 
lost  amidst  the  deafening  noise  which  prevailed.  Some  degree 
of  quiet  being  at  length  restored, 

Mr.  Shaw  rose,  and  with  great  warmth  said,  "  The  honour- 
able member  for  Dublin  knows  that  when  lie  used  the  word 
falsehood " 

Here  Mr.  Shaw's  voice  was  again  drowned  amidst  renewed 
uproar  and  confusion,  caused  by  the  rising  of  seven  or  eight  of 
the  Irish  members  at  once,  each  of  them  at  the  same  time 
speaking  in  the  loudest  and  most  indignant  tones.  It  would 
have  been  impossible  to  hear  a  single  word  either  of  them 
said,  owing  to  so  many  persons  speaking  and  shouting  at  the 
same  instant ;  but  that  difficulty  was  greatly  increased  by  the 
shouts  of  "  Chair,  Chair !"  which  burst  from  the  Opposition 
side  of  the  house. 

When  the  uproar  had  again  partially  subsided,  Mr.  Bernal 
4* 


42  SCENES  IN  THE  IlOffiE. 

sraid,  in  a  most  vehement  and  impassioned  manner,  "  If  I 
eiumot  restore  and  preserve  order,  I  must  dissolve  the  Com- 
mittee at  once.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  maintain  order, 
when  seven  or  eight  honourable  members  all  get  up  and  speak 
at  once." 

The  determined  manner  and  sharp  rebuke  of  Mr.  Bernal  had, 
to  a  very  groat  extent,  the  desired  effect;  when 

Mr.  Shaw,  still  labouring  under  great  excitement,  and 
speaking  with  much  warmth  of  manner,  said  :  "  The  honour- 
able member  (Mr.  O'Connell)  has  charged  me  with  being 
actuated  by  a  spiritual  ferocity;  but  my  ferocity  is  not  of  that 
description  which  takes  for  its  symbol  a  death's  head  and 
cross-bones.  (Tremendous  cheers  from  the  Opposition,  with 
uproar  from  the  Irish  members  on  the  ministerial  side  of  the 
house.) 

Mr.  O'Connell  (addressing  himself  to  Mr.  Shaw  personally, 
and  not  to  the  Chairman) — "  Yours  is  a  calPs  head  and  jaw 
bones."  (Deafening  cheers  from  the  ministerial  side  of  the 
house,  mingled  with  cries  of  "  Order,  order !"  "  Chair,  Chair !" 
from  the  Opposition.) 

Mr.  Bernal  again  interposed  his  authority  as  Chairman, 
when  having  once  more  restored  order,  the  business  of  the 
Committee  proceeded  without  any  further  material  interrup- 
tion. 

I  come  now  to  what  are  called  general  scenes.  One  of  the 
richest  of  this  kind  which  I  have  ever  seen,  occurred  on  the 
17th  of  July  last.  The  question  before  the  House,  was  that 
the  Municipal  Corporations  Bill  be  re-committed.  Several  of 
the  leading  members  having  delivered  their  sentiments  on  the 
subject,  Mr.  Hughes  Hughes,  the  member  for  Oxford,  rose  to  ad- 
dress the  House.  This  gentleman,  for  what  reason  I  am  at  a  loss 
to  guess,  generally  meets  with  a  very  unfavourable  reception : 
on  this  occasion  it  exceeded  anything  I  ever  before  witnessed. 
The  moment  he  pronounced  the  word  "  Sir,"  addressing  him- 
self of  course  to  the  Speaker,  he  was  assailed  with  the  most 
tremendous  uproar  and  confusion.  Such  a  variety  of  sounds, 
and  so  discordant,  hardly  ever  before  greeted  mortal  ear.  Mr. 
Hughes's  voice  was  at  once  drowned  amidst  the  babel  of 
sounds.  Lord  Brougham  (then  Mr.  Brougham)  once  com- 
pared the  House  to  a  menagerie ;  the  application  of  the  term 
would  certainly  have  been  most  appropriate  in  this  case.  Had 
a  blind  person  been  that  night  conducted  into  the  house,  and 
not  told  what  the  place  was,  he  would  assuredly  have  supposed 
that  he  was  in  some  zoological  establishment.  The  Morning 


SCENES  IN  THE  HOUSE.  43 

Post  of  the  following vday  thus  described  the  scene  : — "  The 
most  confused  sounds,  mysteriously  blended,  issued  from  all 
corners  of  the  house.  One  honourable  member  near  the  bar 
repeatedly  called  out  "  Read"  (to  the  member  endeavouring 
to  address  the  House)  in  an  exceedingly  bass  and  hoarse 
sound  of  voice.  At  repeated  intervals  a  sort  of  drone-like 
humming,  having  almost  the  sound  of  a  distant  hand-organ  or 
bagpipes,  issued  from  the  back  benches  ; — coughing,  sneezing, 
and  ingeniously  extended  yawning,  blended  with  the  other 
sounds,  and  produced  a  tout-ensemble  which  we  have  never 
heard  excelled  in  the  house.  A  single  voice  from  the  minis- 
terial benches  imitated  very  accurately  the  yelp  of  a  kennelled 
hound."  The  most  graphic  description  would  fall  short  of  the 
scene  itself.  At  the  farthest  corner  of  the  house,  on  the 
ministerial  side,  there  was  a  constant  movement  of  the  persons 
as  well  as  the  tongues  of  honourable  members.  At  one  time 
you  would  have  thought,  from  the  rapidity  with  which  they 
rose  up  and  sat  down  again  in  their  seats,  that  they  had  been 
trying  some  gymnastic  experiments.  The  best  performers,  in 
another  sense,  were  also  chiefly  in  that  part  of  the  house. 
One  honourable  member  imitated  the  crowing  of  a  cock  so 
admirably,  that  you  could  not  have  distinguished  it  from  the 
performance  of  a  real  chanticleer.  Not  far  from  the  same 
spot  issued  sounds  marvellously  resembling  the  bleating  of  a 
sheep, — blended  occasionally  with  an  admirable  imitation  of 
the  braying  of  an  ass  by  an  honourable  member  a  few  yards 
distant.  Then  there  were  coughing,  yawning,  and  other 
vocal  performances,  in  infinite  variety,  and  in  most  discordant 
chorus.  There  were  yelpings  worthy  of  any  canine  animal, 
and  excellent  imitations  of  the  sounds  of  sundry  instruments 
not  mentioned  by  the  Morning  Post.  The  deafening  uproar 
was  completed  by  the  cries  of  "Chair,  Chair!"  "Order, 
order !"  groans,  laughter,  &c.  which  proceeded  from  all  parts 
of.  the  house.  A  more  undeliberative  assembly  was  never 
seen,  than  that  which  constituted  the  House  of  Commons  at 
this  moment.  One  fact  will  give  as  good  an  idea  of  the 
scene  as  the  most  lengthened  description.  Mr.  Poulter,  the 
member  for  Shaftesbury,  succeeded  Mr.  Hughes,  who  had 
been  obliged  to  sit  down  ;  and  though  the  former,  whose  voice 
is  one  of  the  best  in  the  house,  exerted  himself  for  at  least  ten 
minutes  to  make  himself  audible,  there  was  not,  as  far  as  I 
was  able  to  ascertain,  one  member  who  could  make  out  a 
complete  sentence  of  what  he  said.  Very  few  heard  even  a 
single  word.  Mr.  Hardy  made  the  attempt  after  Mr.  Poulter, 


44  NCTNKS  IN   Till:  HOI  ST. 

but  with  no  belter  suecoss.  He  at  once  saw  it  would  be 
hopeless;  and  accordingly  sat  do\vn.  Other  members  who 
wished  to  deliver  llieir  sent iments,  shrunk  from  even  an  effort 
t<>  procure  a  hearing,  The  I  l»use  Jiad  determined  on  a 
division;  and  a  division  on  the  question  before  it  accordingly 
took  place  immediately,  which  had  the  eil'ect  of  restoring 
order. 

As  I  \vas  not  present  when  the  following  scene  occurred,  I 
quote  it  from  the  Morning  C/ironic/c  of  the  day  after  it  oc- 
curred, which  was  in  June  1XU.  The  question  before  the 
House  was  the  admission  of  Dissenters  to  the  Universities: — 

•'  Mr.  Cr.  \V.  Wood  rose  to  reply.  (The  laughing,  jeering, 
shouting,  and  coughing,  were  such  as  we  never  before  wit- 
nessed.) The  lion,  gentleman  said,  it  had  been  declared  that 
the  Bill,  in  its  present  Mage,  was  essentially  different  from 
what  it  was  when  he  had  the  honour  to  introduce  it  to  the 
house.  (At  this  moment  two  lion,  members  '  o'er  all  the  ills 
of  life  victorious,'  suddenly  entered  from  the  smoking-room 
into  the  opposition  gallery,  and  stretching  themselves  at  full 
length  on  the  seats,  secure  from  the  observation  of  the 
Speaker,  commenced  a  row  of  the  most  discreditable  charac- 
ter.) This  he  denied  ('  I  say,  can't  you  crow  ?'  Laughter  and 
uproar) — the  provisions  had  not  been  altered  ('  Hear  him, 
how  lie  reads !') — the  enactments  were  in  every  respect  un- 
altered (Loud  cheering,  followed  by  bursts  of  laughter).  The 
question  was  ('  Read  it — read  it !'  and  great  uproar) — the 
question  was  ('  Just  so,  read  it') — the  question  was  (great 
cheering  and  lauirhter)  whether  the  universities  should  be 
open  to  all,  or  be  for  ever  under  the  control  of  mere  monopo- 
lists. ('  Where's  the  man  what  crows'!'  Laughter  and  cries  of 
'  Order !'  from  the  Speaker.)  Public  opinion — ('  Order !'  and 
great  uproar,  during  which  the  Speaker,  evidently  excited, 
was  loudly  calling  for  order.)  The  scene  here  was  inde- 
scribable." 

The  preceding  quotation  will  give  some  idea  of  the  scenes 
occasionally  to  be  witnessed  in  the  House  of  Commons.  The 
general  scenes  have  usually  their  origin  in  the  impatience  of 
honourable  members  to  get  away  from  the  house  for  the  night, 
but  who  dare  not  venture  to  leave  before  the  division,  lest  the 
non-appearance  of  their  names  in  the  lists  of  the  majority  and 
minority  the  following  morning,  should  lead  to  some  unpleasant 
questions  from  their  respective  constituents,  if  not  to  a  requi- 
sition to  resign  their  seats. 

I  shall  allude  to  only  one  more  scene  of  this  kind.     It  oc- 


.SCENES  IN  THE  HOUSE.  45 

curred  towards  the  close  of  last  session.  An  honourable  mem- 
ber, whose  name  I  suppress,  rose,  amidst  the  most  tremendous 
uproar,  to  address  the.  House.  He  spoke,  and  was  received, 
as  nearly  as  the  confusion  enabled  me  to  judge,  as  follows : — 
"  I  rise,  Sir,  (Ironical  cheers,  mingled  with  all  sorts  of  zoolo- 
gical sounds),  I  rise,  Sir,  for  the  purpose  of  stating  that  I  have 
('  Oh !  oh !'  '  Bah !'  and  sounds  resembling  the  bleating  of  a 
sheep,  mingled  with  loud  laughter).  Hon.  gentlemen  may 
endeavour  to  put  me  down  by  their  unmannerly  interruptions, 

but  I  have  a  duty  to  perform  to  my  con (Ironical  cheers, 

loud  coughing,  sneezing,  and  yawning  extending  to  an  incre- 
dible length,  followed  by  bursts  of  laughter).  I  say,  Sir,  I 

have  constituents  who  on  this  occasion  expect  that  I (Cries 

of  '  Should  sit  down,'  and  shouts  of  laughter).  They  expect, 
Sir,  that  on  a  question  of  such  importance  ('  O-o-a-a-u-'  and 
loud  laughter,  followed  by  cries  of  '  Order  !  order  !'  from  the 
Speaker).  I  tell  honourable  gentlemen  who  choose  to  con- 
duct themselves  in  such  a  way,  that  I  am  not  to  be  put  down 

by (Groans,  coughs,  sneezings,  hems,  and  various  animal 

sounds,  some  of  which  closely  imitated  the  yelping  of  a  dog, 
and  the  squeaking  of  a  pig,  interspersed  with  peals  of  laugh- 
ter). I  appeal ('  Cock-e-leeri-o-co !'  The  imitation,  in  this 

case,  of  the  crowing  of  a  cock  was  so  remarkably  good,  that 
not  even  the  most  staid  and  orderly  members  in  the  house 
could  preserve  their  gravity.  The  laughter  which  followed 
drowned  the  Speaker's  cries  of  '  Order !  order !')  I  say,  Sir, 
this  is  most  unbecoming  conduct  on  the  part  of  an  assembly 

calling  itself  de ('  Bow-wow-wow,'  and  bursts  of  laughter). 

Sir,  may  I  ask,  have  honourable  gentlemen  who  can 

('  Mew-mew,'  and  renewed  laughter).  Sir,  I  claim  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Chair.  (The  Speaker  here  again  rose  and  called 
out  '  Order !  order !'  in  a  loud  and  angry  tone,  on  which  the 
uproar  in  some  measure  subsided.)  If  honourable  gentlemen 
will  only  allow  me  to  make  one  observation,  I  will  not  trespass 
further  on  their  attention,  but  sit  down  at  once.  (This  was 
followed  by  the  most  tremendous  cheering  in  earnest.)  I  only 
beg  to  say,  Sir,  that  I  think  this  is  a  most  dangerous  and  un- 
constitutional measure,  and  will  therefore  vote  against  it." 
The  honourable  gentleman  then  resumed  his  seat  amidst 
deafening  applause. 


MA\\i:ilS   SI  TTON. 


CIIAl'TKR  V. 

THE    LATE    AND    PRESENT     SPEAKERS — SIR    CHARLES    MANNERS 
SUTTON  AND  MR.  JAMES  ABERCROMBY. 

IN  presenting  the  reader  with  sketches  of  the  leading  mem- 
bers of  all  parties  in  the  House,  it  will  be  expected  that  I  be- 
gin with  the  late  and  present  Speakers.  The  office  of  Speaker 
is  one  of  such  great  importance,  and  is  regarded  with  so  much 
respect  by  the  members,  however  differing  from  him  in  poli- 
tics,— as  to  entitle  Sir  Charles  Manners  Sutton  and  Mr.  Aber- 
cromby  to  a  priority  of  notice. 

SIR  CHARLES  MANNERS  SUTTON  filled  the  office  of  Speaker 
for  eighteen  years,  having  been  chosen  in  1817  in  the  room  of 
the  Right  Honourable  Charles  Abbott,  who  then  resigned  from 
ill  health.  Sir  Charles  presided  during  five  successive  Parlia- 
ments. He  was  a  great  favourite  with  men  of  all  parties  in 
the  House ;  indeed  he  could  not  have  been  otherwise,  for  a 
man  of  more  conciliating,  bland,  and  gentlemanly  manners 
never  crossed  the  threshold  of  St.  Stephen's.  He  was  at  all 
times  accessible,  and  to  every  member;  the  most  inveterate 
and  most  unpopular  Radical,  though  he  himself  was  onn  of 
the  most  decided  Tories  in  the  House,  was  treated  by  him  in 
the  house,  at  his  public  dinners,  and  in  the  private  interviews 
he  was  obliged  frequently  to  have  with  men  of  all  parties, — 
with  the  same  courtesy  and  apparent  respect  as  the  most  in- 
fluential of  his  own  party.  He  never  suffered  his  politicnl 
prejudices,  strong  as  they  were,  to  interfere  with  the  ameni- 
ties of  gentlemanly  intercourse.  The  perfect  gentleman  wns 
visible  in  everything  he  said  and  did;  nay,  it  was  visible  in 
his  very  person,  whether  you  saw  him  walking  the  streets,  or 
filling  the  chair  in  the  House  of  Commons.  There  was  a 
mildness  and  good-nature  in  his  features,  which  could  not  fail 
to  strike  a  stranger  the  moment  he  saw  him,  and  which  \v;is 
certain  of  prepossessing  every  one  in  his  favour.  With  tln'-i' 
softer  and  more  amiable  features,  there  was  blended  a  dignity 
and  energy  of  character,  which  invariably  insured  the  respect 
of  the  members.  No  man  knew  better  how  to  unite  firmness 
and  decision  with  the  greatest  urbanity  of  manner,  in  reprov- 
ing a  member  who  had  violated  the  rules  of  the  House,  or 


SIR  CHARLES  MANNERS  SDTTON.  47 

the  usages  which  one  gentleman  ought  to  observe  towards 
another. 

He  possessed  great  presence  of  mind.  I  have  seen  him 
time  after  time  conduct  himself,  in  scenes  of  the  greatest  con- 
fusion, and  in  cases  of  great  difficulty,  with  as  much  coolness, 
self-possession,  and  judgment,  as  if  he  had  been  quietly  delibe- 
rating on  some  point  appertaining  to  the  orders  and  usages  of 
the  House,  in  his  own  study.  I  do  not  recollect  to  have  seen 
him  so  much  disconcerted  as  on  one  occasion,  when  having, 
on  a  division,  said  he  thought  the  "  Ayes"  had  it, — Mr.  Hal- 
comb,  the  late  member  for  Dover,  got  up  and  said  with  some 
tartness,  though  no  one  but  himself  had  voted  against  the 
measure,  "  /  say,  sir,  the  *  Noes1  have  it."  Sir  Charles  Man- 
ners Sutton  did  look  confounded  for  a  moment,  and  one  loud 
shout  of  "  Oh,  oh !"  burst  simultaneously  from  all  parts  of  the 
house.  Sir  Charles,  on  recovering  himself,  ordered  a  division  ; 
as  the  Speaker  must  always  do  if  but  one  member  demands  it, 
when  there  appeared — how  many  "  Noes"  does  the  reader 
think  1  Just  one,  and  that  one  was  the  property  of  Mr.  Hal- 
comb  himself.  The  late  Duke  of  Somerset,  towards  the  close 
of  the  last  century,  divided  the  House  of  Lords  on  the  question 
of  this  country  going  to  war  with  France,  when  there  only 
appearing  himself  in  opposition  to  the  motion,  he  caused  a 
medal  to  be  struck  to  the  memory  of  "  The  Glorious  Minority 
of  One."  Whether  Mr.  Halcomb  took  a  similar  method  of 
perpetuating  the  remembrance  of  his  "  Glorious  Minority,"  I 
have  not  the  means  of  knowing. 

Sir  Charles  Manners  Sutton  was  intimately  conversant  with 
the  usages,  laws,  and  forms  of  the  House.  This  was  apparent 
soon  after  his  appointment  to  the  office;  for  immediately  on 
getting  into  the  chair  he  applied  himself  with  the  greatest 
assiduity  and  attention  to  the  subject,  until  he  made  himself 
quite  iiiiuster  of  it.  In  no  case  of  difficulty  that  ever  occurred 
while  i  wad  present,  did  I  ever  see  him  at  the  least  loss  as  to 
how  it  should  be  dealt  with. 

His  voice  \\.-i-,  without  exception,  the  most  sonorous,  power- 
ful, niid  melodious  1  ever  heard.  Its  compass  was  surprising, 
when  lie  called  out,  as  he  had  too  often  occasion  to  do,  "  Order, 
order  !"  The  sounds,  even  when  he  manifestly  gave  no  play 
to  his  lungs,  but  spoke  with  as  little  effort  as  if  he  had  been 
speaking  in  a  whisper,  f'eJl  on  your  ear, — it  mattered  not  in 
1  |i;iri  of  th"  «  were  at  the  time, — with  a  loudness 

and  depth  of  intniialinii  which  at  once  startled  and  delighted 
you.  If  very  great  noisu  and  confusiou  prevailed  in  the  house 


48  MH.  J A. MISS  ABERCBOMBY. 

at  the  time,  and  he  consequently  uttered  the  words  "  Order, 
order!"  with  some  mercy,  you  would  have  supposed  you  heard 
ice  ot'  ii  Uoarm>r«M's. 

Sir  Charles  .Manners  Sutton  generally  received  credit  for 
great  impartiality.  The  Liberals,  however,  maintain  that  al- 
though lie  was  very  impartial  in  allowing  an  equal  number  of 
speakers  to  address  the  House  on  each  side  of  a  question,  he 
very  often,  when  several  speakers  on  the  Liberal  side  rose  at 
once  to  reply  to  a  Tory  speech  of  ability,  "  fixed  his  eye"  on 
the  least  talented ;  and  that  on  the  other  hand,  he  as  frequent- 
ly, when  several  Tories  rose  at  once  to  reply  to  a  speech  of 
talent  from  a  Liberal  member,  selected  the  ablest  of  the 
number. 

Sir  Charles  hardly  ever  availed  himself  of  his  privilege  of 
speaking  in  committee.  The  only  instance  in  which  he  did 
so,  that  I  can  remember  at  this  moment,  was  one  morning  in 
the  session  of  1834,  at  four  o'clock,  when  some  question  af- 
fecting the  privileges  of  the  University  of  Cambridge,  of  which 
he  was  at  the  time  the  representative,  was  under  discussion. 
His  speech  lasted  about  ten  or  fifteen  minutes.  It  did  not  in- 
dicate a  vigorous  or  comprehensive  mind,  but  it  was,  in  the 
delivery,  as  fine  a  specimen  of  correct  elocution  as  one  could 
wish  to  hear.  His  style  was  fluent  but  verbose.  He  excelled 
in  making  high  sounding  sentences,  as  his  speech  on  the  elec- 
tion of  Mr.  Abercromby  proved. 

The  late  Speaker  is  tall  and  robust  in  person.  His  hair  is 
black,  and  his  complexion  very  dark.  But  for  a  strong  squint 
in  one  of  his  eyes,  his  countenance  would  be  remarkable  for 
its  handsomeness;  as  it  is,  it  is  pleasant  His  features  are 
small  and  regular.  His  age  is  fifty-five.  He  appears  to  be 
in  excellent  health. 

Of  Mr.  JAMES  ABERCROMBY,  the  present  Speaker,  my  notice 
will  necessarily  be  short,  as  his  occupation  of  the  Chair  has 
yet  been  but  of  little  more  than  six  months'  duration.  His 
voice  is  pleasant  and  clear,  but  not  strong.  His  manner  is 
dignified  and  solemn,  mingled  with  urbanity.  His  articula- 
tion is  slow  and  distinct  Like  his  predecessor,  he  is  perfectly 
cool  and  calm  in  the  midst  of  the  scenes  of  uproar  which  occur 
in  the  house.  He  is  of  a  kindly  disposition.  Indeed,  his  ex- 
treme good  nature  has  sometimes  rendered  him  indulgent  to 
a.  fault,  to  members  who  have  transgressed  the  bounds  of  par- 
liamentary order  and  courtesy.  He  possesses  considerable 
talents,  and  had  much  influence  in  the  House,  especially  with 
his  own  party,  before  his  election  to  the  Chair.  He  is  a  man 


MR.  JAMES  ABERCROMBY.  49 

of  great  straightforwardness  in  his  conduct  as  a  public  as  well 
as  a  private  man.  His  integrity  has  never  been  questioned : 
it  is  above  suspicion.  His  acquaintance  with  the  forms  and 
usages  of  the  House  is  already  intimate.  He  is  much  re- 
spected by  those  members  who  differ  from,  as  well  as  by  those 
who  agree  with  him  in  his  political  opinions. 

He  is  in  his  sixty-second  year.  His  countenance  is  pale, 
and  has  a  pensive  expression.  His  hair  is  partly  gray,  with 
remains  of  its  original  dark-brown  colour.  He  was  in  delicate 
health  when  he  took  possession  of  the  Chair.  It  cannot  have 
been  improved  by  the  last  session,  which  was  perhaps  the 
longest  since  the  revolution  of  1688,  whilst  his  duties,  owing 
to  the  alteration  in  the  hours  of  sitting,  were  more  than  com- 
monly onerous.  On  one  occasion,  towards  the  close  of  the 
session,  he  sat  upwards  of  twelve  successive  hours  without 
quitting  the  Chair  for  a  moment. 


50  T1IK  TOltY   PARTY. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  TORY  TARTY. LATE    MEMBERS. 

Sir  Charles  Wethercll— Mr.  Croker— Mr.  T.  Michael  Sadler. 

THOUGH  the  Liberal  party  within  the  walls  of  Parliament 
had  been  gradually  gaining  in  numbers  for  the  previous  twenty 
years,  it  was  in  the  beginning  of  1829  so  inconsiderable,  that 
had  the  Tories,  as  they  all  now  admit,  only  played  their  cards 
with  ordinary  skill,  the  measure  of  Reform  which  passed  in 
1832,  might  have  been  deferred  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  It 
is  true,  that,  throughout  the  country,  the  demand  for  Reform  had 
become  general;  but  so  moderate  were  the  people  in  their 
expectations,  and  so  few  were  the  friends  of  extensive  Reform 
in  the  House  of  Commons,  that  a  very  limited  amendment  of 
the  representation  would  have  met  the  views  of  the  nation. 
Had  the  elective  franchise  been  only  transferred  from  East 
Retford  and  Penryn,  boroughs  which  have  been  convicted  of 
bribery  and  corruption,  to  Birmingham,  Manchester,  Leeds, 
or  other  large  unrepresented  places,  and  a  few  of  the  other 
most  populous  towns  been  enfranchised,  the  people  would 
have  been  satisfied ;  and  the  Government  conceding  even 
that  small  modicum  of  Reform,  would  have  become  so  popular, 
that  they  might  have  had  a  long  tenure  of  office.  But  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  in  an  evil  hour  for  himself  and  his  party, 
pronounced  the  then  existing  representation  of  the  country  to 
be  "  the  most  perfect  that  human  ingenuity  could  devise,"  and 
proclaimed  his  determination  to  resist  the  slightest  alteration 
in  that  system.  At  the  moment  the  noble  Duke  made  this 
notable  and  ill-judged  declaration,  two-thirds,  at  least,  of  the 
members  of  the  House  of  Commons,  were  decided  Tories,  or, 
at  all  events,  had,  before  that  time,  identified  themselves  with 
that  party ;  but  so  powerful  was  the  sensation  produced  among 
the  people  by  this  announcement,  and  so  loud  was  the  demand 
for  Parliamentary  Reform,  that  a  great  many  members  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  seeing  that  they  could  not  stem  the  torrent 
of  public  opinion,  deemed  it  prudent  to  yield  to  it.  A  general 
election  followed  soon  after,  and  such  had  in  the  meantime 
become  the  power  of  public  opinion,  that  even  under  the  then 
existing  system  of  the  close  burghs  of  England,  and  the  close 


THE  LATE  MEMBERS.  51 

counties,  as  well  as  burghs,  of  Scotland, — there  was  only  a 
majority  of  one  in  the  House  of  Commons  against  the  Reform 
Bill  first  proposed, — and  which  was,  in  many  respects,  more 
sweeping  than  the  one  which  eventually  passed.  Thus,  then, 
the  number  of  the  Tories  was  reduced  to  329  in  the  House  of 
Commons  before  the  passing  of  the  Reform  Bill.  In  the  first 
parliament  after  that  measure  had  become  the  law  of  the  land, 
their  numbers  were  reduced  to  about  192.  Since  then,  how- 
ever, there  has  been  a  re-action  in  their  favour.  Their  num- 
ber now  is  estimated  at  270 ;  but  they  have  often  apparently 
mustered  about  300,  owing  to  their  ranks  having  been,  on 
several  late  occasions,  reinforced  by  moderate  reformers. 

The  most  distinguished  individuals  of  the  Tory  party  who 
were  members  of  the  House  immediately  previous  to  the 
passing  of  the  Reform  Bill,  have  for  the  most  part,  still  seats 
in  it :  Sir  Charles  Wetherell,  Mr.  Croker,  the  late  Mr.  T.  Mi- 
chael Sadler,  and  two  or  three  others,  are  the  exceptions. 

Never  was  the  exclusion  of  a  member  more  generally  re- 
gretted than  was  that  of  Sir  CHARLES  WETHERELL.  He  was 
a  high  Tory,  and  never  was  there  a  man  who  so  uncompro- 
misingly and  zealously  asserted  his  opinions.  There  were 
formerly  many  Tories,  as  there  are  now  Liberals,  who  adopted 
a  particular  creed,  simply  because  it  paid  best,  and  not  from 
any  very  marked  preference  to  one  class  of  principles  over 
another.  Not  so  with  Sir  Charles.  He  believes  most  potently 
in  the  superior  excellence  of  Toryism ;  he  loves  it  for  its  own 
sake ;  it  has  no  additional  charms  to  him  when  associated  with 
the  loaves  and  fishes  of  power,  nor  does  it  lose  any  of  its  at- 
tractions when  in  Opposition.  He  is  one  of  the  most  disin- 
terested men,  of  any  party,  of  the  present  day.  His  attach- 
ment to  his  principles  was  sorely  tried  in  1829 ;  but  he  came 
through  the  ordeal  in  the  most  triumphant  manner.  It  was 
well  known  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  on  that  occasion 
offered  him  one  of  the  highest  judicial  situations  in  the  coun- 
try, on  the  condition  of  his  supporting  the  Government  in  the 
measure  of  Catholic  Emancipation ;  but  he  held  fast  his  in- 
tegrity, notwithstanding  the  strength  of  the  temptation.  In 
politics  any  more  than  in  morals,  he  could  not  recognize  the 
principle  of  expediency.  His  maxims  then,  as  on  all  other 
occasions,  was  that  honesty  is  the  best  policy.  He  is  ready 
any  day,  should  the  necessity  arise,  of  which  happily  there  is 
little  chance,  to  suffer  any  species  of  martyrdom  which  the 
opposite  party  may  think  best, — for  his  political  princi- 
ples. 


")'-2  SIR  CHARLES  WETHERELL. 

But  it  was  not  because  of  the  straightforward  conduct  and 
unimpeachable  consistency  of  Sir  Charles  Wetherel),  that  his 
exclusion  from  Parliament  was  so  generally  regretted  hy  the 
House.  It  was  his  peculiar  manners  and  his  rich  humour 
that  made  him  so  great  a  favourite.  He  was  generally  very 
severe  as  well  as  witty  on  his  opponents,  but  it  was  clearly 
at  the  principles  of  the  men,  and  not  at  the  men  themselves, 
that  he  levelled  his  happy  sarcasms.  This  is  an  important 
distinction :  and  the  more  so,  because  in  a  great  many  cases 
honourable  members,  under  the  pretext  of  attacking  the 
principles  and  arguments  of  their  opponents,  do  in  reality 
indulge  their  personal  animosities  by  attacking  the  men. 
Few  members  have  had  fewer  personal  enemies  than  Sir 
Charles.  I  hardly  knew  one  that  cherished  any  rooted  aver- 
sion to  him. 

He  never  opened  his  mouth,  but  the  House  was  sure  to  be 
convulsed  with  laughter.  When  he  rose  all  eyes  were  inva- 
riably turned  towards  him :  honourable  members  expected  a 
profusion  of  jokes,  and  they  were  never  disappointed.  Sir 
Charles's  personal  appearance  strikingly  contrasted  with  his 
matter.  Lavaler  would  have  pronounced  him  one  of  the 
dullest  and  most  morose  of  human  beings  :  a  person  meeting 
him  in  the  streets,  would  at  once  infer,  if  any  faith  is  to  be 
put  in  physiognomy,  that  he  was  some  Friar  just  escaped  from 
rt  twenty  or  thirty  years'  seclusion  in  a  convent.  He  usually 
looks  sulky:  his  appearance  is  to  a  stranger's  mind  the  beau 
ideal  of  a  cynical  philosopher.  When  lashing  the  Liberals, 
and  denouncing  what  he  terms  revolutionary  doctrines,  his 
countenance  darkens  with  an  expression  of  supreme  scorn. 
His  face  is  deeply  furrowed  with  wrinkles,  though  apparently 
not  more  than  from  fifty-five  to  sixty  years  of  age.  In  person 
he  is  tall  and  athletic.  His  complexion  is  dark,  and  his  fea- 
tures are  large.  Nothing  can  daunt  him  or  put  him  out  of 
countenance.  He  is  impervious  alike  to  the  coarsest  and 
most  refined  sarcasms  which  may  be  levelled  at  him, — and 
few  men  within  the  walls  of  Parliament  have  been  the  butts 
of  so  much  ridicule ;  certainly  none  on  account  of  their  per- 
sonal appearance.  He  was  a  target  for  every  Liberal  to  shoot 
at.  His  clothes  are  always  thread-bare.  I  never  yet  saw  a 
suit  on  him  for  which  a  Jew  old-clothes-man. would  give  ten 
shillings.  How  or  where  he  gets  his  wardrobe  nobody  knows, 
but  every  one  has  remarked  that  a  new  suit,  or  even  a  new 
hat,  coat,  waistcoat,  or  Irowsers  singly,  was  never  yet  seen 
to  grace  his  person.  I  cannot  think  he  has  a  tailor,  or  if  he 


SIR  CHARLES  WETHERELL.  53 

have,  it  is  impossible  Snip  can  ever  take  his  measure.  His 
clothes  always  look  as  if  made  by  accident;  they  never  fit 
him.  They  literally  hang  loosely  about  him.  As  for  braces, 
he  has  an  unconquerable  aversion  to  them.  Whether,  like 
the  elder  Hannibal  towards  the  Romans,  he  has  sworn  eternal 
hostility  to  what  he  calls  "suspenders,"  is  not  known;  but  no 
one  can  doubt  he  would  as  soon  that  his  neck  were  encircled 
in  a  halter,  as  that  his  breeches  should  be  adjusted  by  means 
of  braces. 

Though  the  cause  of  so  much  laughter  in  others,  I  scarce- 
ly ever  yet  knew  a  smile  play  on  Sir  Charles'  own  counte- 
nance. I  doubt  much  if  he  himself  sees  the  wit  and  humour 
with  which  his  speeches  sparkle ;  certainly  there  is  not  the 
least  appearance  of  an  effort  to  be  witty  or  humorous. 

He  is  capable  of  undergoing  great  fatigue.  His  physical 
as  well  as  mental  exertions  during  the  time  the  Reform  Bill 
was  in  Committee,  were  extraordinary.  Night  after  night — 
and  this,  too,  after  being  busily  and  laboriously  engaged  all 
day  in  the  discharge  of  his  professional  duties — did  he  oppose 
every  successive  clause  of  that  measure.  It  was  in  a  great 
degree  owing  to  his  pertinacious  opposition  and  "  much  speak- 
ing," that  the  debate  immediately  before  the  memorable  divi- 
sion at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  was  prolonged  to  that 
unseasonable  and  unprecedentedly  late  hour.  That  division 
was  only  one  of  several  which  had  taken  place  in  the  course 
of  the  previous  night.  Sir  Charles,  on  leaving  the  house  at  a 
quarter  past  seven,  finding  that  it  rained  heavily,  raised  his 
eyes  towards  the  clouds,  as  a  wild  duck,  to  use  the  phra- 
seology of  an  Irish  peasant,  would  do  in  a  thunder  storm,  and 
exclaimed,  "  By  G —  if  I  had  known  this,  we  should  have  had 
a  few  more  divisions." 

Sir  Charles  is  an  excellent  lawyer,  but  an  indifferent  politi- 
cian. His  mind  is  incapable  of  grappling  with  any  great  na- 
tional question.  He  has  no  comprehensive  views;  improve- 
ment in  the  institutions  of  the  country  is,  with  him,  synony- 
mous with  revolution.  Established  usages  are  everything  in 
his  eye.  To  question  the  wisdom  of  our  ancestors  is  in  his  es- 
timation treason,  both  against  the  Constitution  and  society, 
and  could  not  be  visited  with  too  heavy  a  punishment.  Hence 
all  his  speeches  in  Parliament  consisted  of  denunciations  of 
Liberalism,  and  eulogiums  of  "  things  as  they  are  !"  Had  Sir 
Charles  been  in  the  house  during  the  late  discussions  on  the 
Church  of  Ireland,  he  would  have  made  some  rich  exhibitions. 
After  shedding  an  ocean  of  tears  over  the  assumed  destruc- 
5* 


54  MR.  CROKKR. 

tion  of  the  Irisli  Ileirarchy,  and  seen  in  that  destruction  the 
extinction  of  Christianity  all  over  the  world, — In-  \vonld  have 
branded  the  Liberals  with  the  epithets  of  "  AtheiM.s!"  "  Infi- 
dels !"  iVc..  and  then  sent  one  and  all  of  them,  en  //w.w,  to  a 
locality  which  shall  be  nameless,  amidst  jokes  and  witticisms, 
which,  notwithstanding  the  seriousness  of  the  charges,  and 
the  a  \\fulness  of  the  threatened  doom,  would  have  made  the 
house  ring  with  laughter;  for  lie  cannot  open  his  mouth  with- 
out giving  utterance  to  something  humorous.  It  is  a  ruling 
jwssion  with  him,  which  will,  there  can  be  no  question,  be 
strong  in  death. 

The  Reform  Bill,  which  shut  the  doors  of  Parliament  against 
Sir  Charles  Wetherell,  was  also  the  means  of  bringing  to  an 
abrupt  termination  the  legislative  career  of  Mr.  CHOKER.  In 
his  exclusion  from  the  house,  the  Tory  party  lost  the  Parlia- 
mentary services  of  one  of  their  most  zealous  and  efficient 
friends.  Nature,  according  to  the  representations  of  his  oppo- 
nents, intended  him  for  a  Tory,  and  education  forwarded  the 
purposes  of  Nature.  He  lived  as  strictly  within  the  limits  of 
the  world  of  Toryism,  as  if  it  had  constituted  the  only  creed 
in  the  universe  of  mind.  He  not  only  hated  the  abstraction  of 
Liberalism,  but  to  have  associated,  even  in  the  private  rela- 
tions of  life,  with  men  holding  liberal  principles,  would  have 
been  in  his  view  so  enormous  an  offence  against  propriety, 
that  he  could  never  have  forgiven  himself  had  he  committed 
it.  Not  only  was  it  impossible,  from  the  very  constitution  of  his 
mind,  that  he  could  ever  make  a  friend  of  any  person  enter- 
taining liberal  opinions,  but  when  unavoidable  circumstances 
brought  him  into  personal  contact  with  Reformers,  he  seemed 
like  a  fish  out  of  its  element,  or  like  a  person  breathing  a 
tainted  atmosphere.  Whatever  therefore  he  knew  of  Liberal- 
ism, was  rather  from  the  reports  of  others  than  from  his  own 
experience  or  knowledge. 

It  is  no  fiction  to  state  that  Mr.  Croker  viewed  the  passing 
of  the  Reform  Bill  with  very  much  the  same  feelings  as  if  it 
had  been  a  personal  calamity  of  the  first  magnitude.  His 
mind  was  filled  with  horror  during  the  day  at  the  bare  con- 
templation of  that  measure  becoming  the  law  of  the  land,  and 
it  disturbed  his  slumbers  at  night.  Many  a  sleepless  night 
did  he  pass  when,  to  use  Sir  Charles  WetherelPs  expression, 
"  the  close  boroughs  were,  day  after  day,  put  up  to  be  knocked 
down."  His  exertions  to  avert  the  catastrophe  were  almost 
superhuman.  Few  constitutions  could  have  stood  the  amount 
of  physical  labour  he  went  through  while  the  several  clauses 


MR.  CROKER.  55 

of  schedules  A  and  B  were  being  discussed.  For  some  weeks 
he  spoke  every  consecutive  evening  against  particular  clauses 
of  the  Reform  Bill,  upwards,  on  an  average,  of  three  hours. 
Some  nights  he  made  as  many  as  twenty  speeches  ;  not  under 
the  impression  that  his  eloquence  would  operate  conviction  on 
the  minds  of  Reformers,  or  avert  the  impending  destruction  of 
the  close  boroughs,  but  merely  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  time. 
He  had  great  faith  in  the  chapter  of  accidents  doing  something 
for  his  party,  and  clung  to  the  very  last  moment — till  the  Re- 
form Bill  received  the  Royal  Assent — with  a  tenacity  pecu- 
liar to  himself,  to  the  fond  hope  that  something  or  other,  he 
knew  not  what,  would  occur,  "  to  save  the  Constitution  and 
the  country." 

In  person,  Mr.  Croker  is  tall  and  well-made.  He  is  full 
six  feet  in  height.  He  is  bald-headed,  and  has  been  so  for 
ten  or  twelve  years.  He  is  about  sixty  years  of  age,  nearly 
the  one-half  of  which  time  he  was  in  Parliament.  He  is  a 
very  iluent  speaker;  but  his  elocution  is  somewhat  impaired 
by  the  circumstance  of  his  not  not  being  able  to  pronounce 
the  letter  r.  He  is  never  at  a  loss  for  words  ;  and  when  in 
Parliament  was  chiefly  remarkable  for  the  readiness  and  in- 
genuity with  which  he  could  reply  to  any  opponent.  He  sel- 
dom, comparatively,  made  set  speeches.  He  generally  re- 
served himself  until  some  political  opponent  of  mark  had  ad- 
dressed the  House ;  he  then  rose  and  replied,  usually  with 
much  cftect.  His  forte  chiefly  lay  in  detecting  and  exposing 
the  weak  points  of  an  adversary;  and  when  these  did  not  ac- 
tually exist  ready-made  to  his  hand,  he  invariably  contrived  to 
make  them  for  himself.  He  was  one  of  the  most  unfair  rea- 
soners  in  the  house ;  he  never  hesitated  to  misrepresent  the 
arguments  of  his  opponents,  and  though  often  interrupted  in 
his  speeches  by  honourable  members  rising  up  and  complain- 
ing, frequently  with  great  warmth  of  temper,  of  being  totally 
misrepresented,  no  sooner  had  they  resumed  their  seats,  than 
he  proceeded,  demolishing,  without  mercy,  as  if  no  complaint 
of  misrepresentation  had  been  made,  the  positions  which  he 
had  himself  created  and  put  in  to  their  mouths.  A  more  dex- 
terous special  pleader  than  Mr.  Croker  never  sat  within  the 
walls  of  Parliament.  His  manner  was  distinguished  by  an 
earnestness  and  animation  which  invariably  commanded  the 
attention  of  the  House.  His  gesture  was  violent,  often  thea- 
trically so.  He  made  infinitely  varied  evolutions  with  his 
person.  He  could  not  remain  many  seconds  in  the  same  posi- 
tion. He  was  always  wheeling  his  body  round  and  round, 


56  MR.  T.   M.  SADI.EU. 

ami  by  that  means  managed  to  address,  by  turns,  not  only 
every  part  of  the  house,  but  almost  every  member  in  it.  His 
manner,  when  speaking,  was;  the  most  mercurial  I  ever  saw. 
An  Irishman  in  the  gallery  characteristically  observed  one 
evening,  that  he  was  like  a  hen  on  a  hot  girdle.  He  was  an 
excellent  actor;  had  he  gone  to  the  stage  when  he  first  took 
to  politics,  he  could  not  tail  to  have  earned  for  himself  a  dis- 
tinguished reputation  on  the  histrionic  boards. 

Mr.  Croker  felt  particularly  jealous  of  Mr.  Jeffrey,  the  Lord 
Advocate  of  Scotland,  on  that  learned  lord's  admission  into 
Parliament.  Hence  he  laboured  with  his  utmost  might  to 
damage  the  Parliamentary  reputation, — which,  by  the  way, 
was  never  so  great  as  was  generally  expected  it  would  be, — 
of  the  Scotch  Advocate.  He  invariably  replied  to  his  speeches 
when  the  rules  of  the  House  would  allow  him,  thus  affording 
an  illustration  of  the  old  saying — two  of  a  trade  can  never 
agree.  For  -years  they  had  been  rival  Reviewers :  now  they 
were  rival  orators  and  legislators.  The  Scotch  Advocate 
spoke  Edinburgh  Reviews,  and  the  Secretary  to  the  Board  of 
Admiralty  replied  to  him  in  Quarterly  Reviews. 

Mr.  Croker  is  quite  an  aristocrat  in  his  notions.  '  The  most 
memorable  thing  he  ever  uttered  in  Parliament  was  an  ex- 
clamation, on  hearing  some  honourable  member  mention  the 
name  of  Bedford-square,  "  Bedford-square  !  I  know  nothing  of 
the  geography  of  Bedford-square :  I  did  not  know  there  was 
such  a  place  in  the  world  !"  This  affected  ignorance  of  every 
thing  but  the  aristocratic  squares  of  the  West-end,  drew  down 
on  him  the  deserved  ridicule  of  the  House.* 

Mr.  T.  M.  SADLER,  the  late  member  for  Newark,  was  ano- 
ther able  friend  of  the  Tories,  of  whose  services  in  Parliament 
they  were  deprived  by  the  Reform  Bill.  He  was  the  nominee 
of  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  and  it  was  in  reference  to  the  in- 
fluence of  that  noblemen  over  his  tenants  in  Newark,  in  sup- 
port of  Mr.  Sadler  against  Mr.  Serjeant  Wilde,  the  opposing 
Reform  candidate, — that  his  Grace  openly  asserted  his  right  to 
do  what  he  liked  with  his  own.  Mr.  Sadler  was  only  in  the 
House  of  Commons  during  the  two  short  Parliaments  imme- 
diately preceding  the  passing  of  the  Reform  Bill.  He  was 
quite  unknown  to  fame  when  he  entered  the  house :  even  the 


*  I  have  been  credibly  informed  that  in  consequence  of  this  ob- 
servation of  Mr.  Croker,  the  houses  in  Bedford  Square  fell  fifty  per 
cent,  in  rental. 


MR.  T.  M.  SADLER.  57 

little  local  reputation  lie  possessed,  was  made  rather  in  the 
capacity  of  a  banker  in  Leeds  than  as  an  orator  or  politician. 
His  maiden  speech,  therefore,  which  was  one  of  great  elo- 
quence and  ability,  and  which  occupied  nearly  three  hours  in 
the  delivery,  came  like  a  peal  of  thunder  on  the  ears  of  the 
House.  Indeed,  had  he  descended  from  the  clouds,  instead  of 
emerging  from  the  comparative  obscurity  of  his  banking-house 
in  Leeds,  his  party  could  not  have  idolized  him  more.  The 
proudest  of  the  aristocracy  courted  his  company,  and  took 
every  occasion  of  paying  homage  to  him.  The  Duke  of  New- 
castle derived  much  credit  for  penetration  in  discovering  the 
light  which  Mr.  Sadler  had  so  long  hid  under  a  bushel.  It 
was,  however,  soon  found  out,  that  though  a  man  of  great  ta- 
lent, and  one  who  could  be  of  much  service  to  his  party,  he 
was  vastly  overrated.  The  speech,  a  splendid  one  undoubted- 
ly, with  which  he  had  electrified  the  House,  they  supposed  to 
have  been  extemporaneous,  and  that  he  had  only  any  evening, 
and  on  any  interesting  occasion,  to  "  get  on  his  legs"  and  de- 
liver another  equally  excellent.  Here  was  their  error.  The 
speech  which  they  had  supposed  to  be  spoken  with  very  little, 
if  any,  premeditation,  had  been  the  result  of  weeks  of  most  in- 
tense study,  and  every  word,  like  the  school-boy  with  his 
tasks,  had  been  most  carefully  committed  to  memory.  Night 
after  night,  and  week  after  week,  did  the  Tories  look  to  the 
Opposition  bench  which  he  occupied,  in  the  hope  of  his  pouring 
out  another  such  torrent  of  eloquence ;  but  they  looked  in 
vain.  He  was  as  silent  as  the  grave.  When,  some  two  or 
three  months  afterwards,  he  \vas  compelled  to  say  something 
in  consequence  of  some  pointed  allusions  both  to  himself  and 
his  patron,  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  the  charm  was  in  a  great 
measure  dissolved.  He  stuttered,  and  stammered,  and  flound- 
ered at  almost  every  second  sentence,  in  such  a  way  as  to  be 
absolutely  painful  to  the  House.  The  fact  was,  that  he  was 
not  an  extempore  speaker ;  he  could  not  deliver  two  consecu- 
tive sentences,  with  any  propriety  or  effect,  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment.  He  was  a  man  who  might  make  five  or  six  good 
speeches  in  the  course  of  a  Session,  which  would  be  allowing 
about  a  month  for  the  preparation  of  each  ;  but  that  was  the 
utmost  extent  of  his  capabilities.  Even  on  the  hustings,  where 
all  the-  "silent  members"  are  proverbially  loquacious,  he  com- 
pletely broke  down.  He  could  not  reply  to  the  attacks  of  a 
rival  candidate.  Nay,  in  his  own  committee-room,  if  he  was, 
by  an  unexpected  question  or  other  interruption,  diverted  from 
his  train  of  thought,  the  circumstance  so  disconcerted  him  as 


58  MR.  T.   M.  SADLER. 

to  make  it  clitlicult  for  him  to  add  a  single  word  more  on  the 
subject. 

Mr.  Sadler  was  fifty-six  years  of  age  when  he  died.  He 
was  of  middle  size.  His  head  was  quite  gray.  In  his  coun- 
tenance there  were  such  a  seriousness  and  solemnity,  that  a 
stranger  might  have  mistaken  him  for  a  clergyman.  His  fea- 
tures were  strongly  marked,  and  his  elocution  was  in  harmony 
with  his  staid  and  pensive  appearance.  His  voice  was  full 
and  distinct,  but  it  had  a  species  of  twang  about  it  very  much 
resembling  that  which  is  so  often  heard  in  the  pulpit.  This, 
however,  rather  aided  than  impaired  the  effect  of  his  celebra- 
ted maiden  speech  in  St.  Stephen's,  inasmuch  as  its  chief 
characteristics  consisted  of  gloomy  forebodings  of  the  effects 
which,  he  alleged,  would  flow  from  the  passing  of  the  Re- 
form Bill. 

There  was  none  of  their  party  whose  exclusion  from  the 
House,  by  the  passing  of  that  measure,  was  more  generally 
regretted  by  the  Tories  than  was  Mr.  Sadler's,  and  the  greatest 
efforts  were  made  to  get  him  returned  for  Leeds.  In  the  first 
election  for  that  town,  after  the  Reform  Bill  became  the  law 
of  the  land,  there  was  little  probability  of  a  successful  appeal 
to  its  constituency,  both  on  account  of  the  great  popularity  ol 
his  opponent,  Mr.  Macauley,  and  the  intense  enthusiasm  which 
then  existed  in  favour  of  reform  measures ;  but  when  a  va- 
cancy occurred  in  the  representation  of  the  place,  by  Mr.  Ma- 
caul  ey's  acceptance  of  an  appointment  in  India,  there  was  al- 
most a  moral  certainty  of  his  return,  had  not  Mr.  Foster,  late 
proprietor  and  editor  of  the  Leeds  Patriot,  suddenly  started 
up, — because  of  some  alleged  private  wrongs  he  had  suffered 
at  the  hands  of  Mr.  Sadler, — and  made  a  detailed  and  pointed 
expose  of  various  circumstances  in  Mr.  Sadler's  history  before 
unknown.  The  statements  made  were  of  a  nature  to  create 
at  once  an  overwhelming  prejudice  against  him  in  the  public 
mind.  Many,  even  of  his  own  party,  withdrew  their  support 
from  him,  because,  while  they  conceived  the  charges  were  of 
a  character  which  imperiously  demanded  an  immediate  and 
complete  disproval,  he,  acting  on  the  advice  of  his  committee, 
declined  taking  any  notice  of  them.  He  lost  his  election  by 
a  majority  of  six  to  one,  and  was  so  mortified  at  the  circum- 
stance, that  he  formed  a  resolution,  as  was  well  understood 
by  his  friends,  and,  indeed,  almost  publicly  stated  by  himself, 
to  retire  for  ever  into  private  life. 

Mr.  Sadler  was  one  of  the  most  benevolent  men  of  the  pre- 
sent day.  His  exertions,  both  in  and  out  of  Parliament,  in 


MR.  T.   M.  SADLER.  59 

favour  of  the  factory  children,  were  great  and  unwearied,  and 
will  endear  his  name  to  millions  yet  unborn.  For  a  long  time 
he  laboured  under  great  bodily  indisposition,  brought  on,  there 
can  be  no  doubt,  by  the  amount  of  his  labours  in  the  cause  of 
suffering  humanity. 


60  TIIK  TORY    I'AIITY. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

TORY  PARTY. PRESENT  MEMBERS. 

Sir  Robert  Peel— Mr.  Goulburn— Sir  Edward  Knatchbull— Sir 
Henry  Hardinge — Sir  Robert  Inglis — Lord  Sandon — Mr.  Praed 
—Mr.  C.  W.  \V.  Wynn— Lord  Mahon— Colonel  Siblhorpe— 
Marquis  of  Cliandoa — Mr.  F.  Shaw — Sir  Richard  Vyvyan. 

SIR  ROBERT  PEEL  is  now,  as  he  has  been  since  the  death  of 
Mr.  Canning,  the  leader  of  the  Tory  party  in  the  House  of 
Commons.  He  is  a  remarkable  good-looking  man,  rather 
above  the  usual  size,  and  finely  proportioned.  He  is  of  a  clear 
complexion,  full  round  face,  and  red-haired.  His  usual  dress 
is  a  green  surtout,  a  light  waistcoat,  and  dark  trowsers.  lie 
generally  displays  a  watch-chain  on  his  breast,  with  a  bunch 
of  gold  seals  of  unusually  large  dimensions  and  great  splen- 
dour. He  can  scarcely  be  called  a  dandy,  and  yet  he  sacri- 
fices a  good  deal  to  the  graces.  I  hardly  know  a  public  man 
who  dresses  in  better  taste.  He  is  in  the  prime  of  life,  being 
forty-seven  years  of  age.  His  whole  appearance  indicates 
health.  His  constitution  is  excellent,  and  his  temperate  habits 
have  seconded  the  kindly  purposes  of  nature.  He  is  capable 
of  undergoing  great  physical  fatigue.  I  have  known  him  re- 
main in  the  house  for  three  or  four  successive  nights  till  one 
and  two  o'clock,  not  only  watching  with  the  most  intense 
anxiety  the  progress  of  important  debates,  but  taking  an  active 
part  in  the  proceedings,  and  yet  be  in  his  office,  transacting 
business  of  the  greatest  moment,  by  ten  o'clock  on  the  follow- 
ing morning.  Sir  Robert  is  possessed  of  business  habits  of 
the  first  order.  He  can  descend,  when  there  is  a  necessity 
for  it,  to  the  minutest  circumstances  in  a  great  question,  and 
master  them  all  as  fully  as  if  he  had  never  had  a  thought  be- 
yond the  pale  of  such  matters.  He  was  never  yet  known  to 
bungle  any  measure  from  ignorance  of  business  details. 

Sir  Robert  Peel  is  perhaps  the  best  and  most  effective 
speaker  in  the  House.  He  is  always  fluent,  even  in  his  most 
extemporaneous  addresses.  His  language  is  uniformly  cor- 
rect, and  generally  eloquent.  He  is  never  at  a  loss  for  words. 
These  he  has  almost  invariably  at  his  command  in  abundance, 
even  when  he  is  deficient  in  everything  having  the  semblance 
of  argument.  He  is  remarkably  dexterous  in  debate.  I  have 


SIR  ROBERT  PEEL.  61 

often  admired  the  wonderful  expertness  with  which  he  has 
extricated  himself  from  the  awkward  positions  into  which  his 
opponents  have  thrust  him.  His  self-possession,  which  scarce- 
ly ever  forsakes  him,  is  of  vast  importance  to  him ;  and,  in 
conjunction  with  his  singularly  good  tact,  enables  him  to  make 
the  most  of  a  bad  cause.  The  only  occasion  on  which  I  ever 
knew  him  break  fairly  down,  was  when,  last  session,  attempt- 
ing to  vindicate  the  appointment  of  the  Marquis  of  London- 
derry as  Ambassador-  to  the  Court  of  St.  Petersburgh.  That 
was  'as  signal  a  failure  as  was  ever  witnessed  in  the  house. 
At  one  time  he  stuttered  and  stammered  as  if  he  had  had  an 
impediment  in  his  speech  ;  at  another  he  made  a  dead  pause, 
not  being  able  for  some  time  to  utter  a  single  word.  He 
seemed  to  feel  that  he  had  undertaken  a  bad  cause.  The 
memorable  declaration  of  the  noble  Marquis,  that  the  Poles 
were  a  set  of  rebels,  and  that  they  ought  to  be  compelled  at 
any  price  to  submit  to  the  government  of  Nicholas,  was  pressed 
on  the  attention  of  the  House  by  Mr.  Shiel,  Mr.  C.  Fergusson, 
and  others,  in  strains  of  such  indignant  eloquence  as  to  give 
rise  to  a  burning  enthusiasm  among  honourable  members  of 
all  political  opinions  in  favour  of  the  Poles,  such  as  I  never 
before  witnessed,  and  which  must  have  destroyed  the  nerves 
of  the  strongest-minded  man  that  ever  existed,  if  he  had  had, 
like  Sir  Robert,  to  perform  the  ungracious  task  of  vindicating 
the  character  of  the  man  whose  unfeeling  and  ungenerous 
expressions  had  caused  this  resistless  burst  of  noble  feeling  in 
favour  of  the  Poles. 

There  never  was  a  more  complete  master  of  the  plausibili- 
ties than  Sir  Robert  Peel.  He  is  apparently  all  candour  and 
sincerity.  He  invariably  appeals  to  his  honour  for  the  truth 
of  what  he  says.  He  not  only  urges  the  best  arguments  which 
can  be  advanced  in  favour  of  the  cause  which  he  espouses, 
but  there  is  such  an  appearance  of  honesty  and  fair-dealing 
about  him,  that  it  is  with  great  difficulty  those  who  are  most 
opposed  to  his  politics  can  guard  against  being  led  away  by 
his  winning  manner.  He  is  a  most  consummate  special  pleader: 
had  he  been  destined  for  the  bar,  he  would  long  since  have 
been  one  of  its  most  distinguished  ornaments. 

In  his  manner  Sir  Robert  is  highly  dignified,  and  his  deli- 
very is  generally  graceful.  He  usually  commences  his  most 
important  speeches  with  his  left  hand  resting  on  Ids  side.  His 
utterance  on  such  occasions  is  slow  and  solemn  in  the  outset; 
but  when  he  advances  to  the  heart  of  his  subject  he  becomes 
animated  and  speaks  with  some  rapidity,  but  always  with  much 
6 


(!'J  silt  UOBKRT  I'EET* 

distinctness-,  llis  enunciation  is  clear;  and  few  speakers  pos- 
a  greater  power  over  their  voice,  lie  can  modulate  its 
sort  and  musical  tours  at  pleasure,  lie  is  sometimes  humour- 
ous, on  \vhich  occasions  his  manner  has  .'111  irresistibly  comic 
Jlis  jokes,  \vhen  he  does  indulge  in  thorn,  are  almost 
invariably  good,  though  orten  too  refined  to  tell  with  effect  on 
any  other  than  an  intellectual  audience.  It  is,  however,  but 
comparatively  seldom  that  he  makes  any  ellort  at  wit.  His 
forte  manifestly  lies  in  the  serious  mode  of  address.  He  ex- 
cels all  men  I  ever  knew  in  deep  tragedy:  in  that  he  is  quite 
at  home.  No  man  in  the  House  can  appeal  with  a  tittle  of 
the  effect  with  which  lie  can,  to  the  fears  of  his  audience  ; 
and  he  is  too  good  a  tactician  not  to  know,  that  a  great  deal 
more  may  be  accomplished  by  addressing  in  this  strain  an  au- 
dience \vlio  have  rank  and  property  to  lose,  than  by  cold  argu- 
mentative orations.  Hence  the  staple  of  his  principal  speeches 
consists  of  a  forcible  and  skilful  exhibition  of  the  alleged  fright- 
ful consequences  which  will  inevitably  flow  from  the  adoption 
of  a  course  of  policy  different  from  that  which  he  recommends. 
On  such  occasions  his  appearance  and  manner  are  as  solemn 
as  if  he  were  commissioned  to  stand  up  and  proclaim  that  the 
world  had  come  to  an  end.  And  he  usually  produces  a  cor- 
responding effect.  The  deepest  stillness  pervades  the  House 
while  he  is  speaking,  Even  in  the  gallery,  where  there  is 
generally  a  great  deal  of  noise  from  the  exits  and  the  entrances 
of  strangers,  the  falling  of  a  pin  might  be  heard.  All  eyes 
are  fixed  on  Sir  Robert.  Honourable  members,  of  all  parties, 
are,  for  the  time,  spell-bound.  Their  reason  is  taken  prisoner. 
Tiie  feelings  obtain  a  temporary  triumph  over  the  understand- 
ing. The  solemnity  of  the  speaker  is  communicated  to  the 
hearers.  No  smile  is  seen  to  play  on  the'  countenances  of 
even  the  most  lively  and  strenuous  of  his  opponents.  All  are 
as  grave  as  if  some  question  of  the  deepest  importance  to  them 
individually  wrere  about  to  be  decided.  Sir  Robert  is  a  speaker 
whom  one  would  never  tire  of  hearing.  I  have  often  heard 
him  speak  for  two  or  three  hours  at  a  time,  but  never  knew  an 
instance  of  an  honourable  member  quitting  the  house  because 
he  felt  Sir  Robert's  oration  to  be  tedious.  On  the  contrary, 
the  regret  always  is  that  he  does  not  continue  longer.  Sir 
John  Hobhouse  was,  I  am  sure,  only  expressing  the  feeling 
enli-rtained  bv  every  member  in  the  House,  when  he  said,  im- 
mediately before  the  resignation  of  Sir  Robert  in  April  last, 
that  if  anything  could  reconcile  him  to  the  continuance  in 


SIR  ROBERT  PEEL.  03 

office  of  the  right  honourable  Baronet,  it  would  be  the  pleasure 
of  hearing  him  speak. 

Sir  Robert's  manners,  both  in  and  out  of  Parliament,  are 
most  conciliatory.  He  treats  every  person  with  -  whom  he 
comes  into  contact  with  the  utmost  respect.  He  has  a  won- 
derful command  of  temper.  I  never  yet  knew  him,  even  in 
the  heat  of  debate,  use  a  single  irritating  word  to  any  oppo- 
nent. And  the  same  courtesy  and  respect  with  which  he 
treats  others,  are,  as  it  is  right  they  should  be,  reciprocated 
by  them.  Sir  Robert  has  not  only  no  personal  enemies,  but 
is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  the  most  virulent  of  his  op- 
ponents. It  is  the  abstraction — the  particular  class  of  opinions 
of  which  he  is  the  most  distinguished  champion,  and  not  him- 
self, as  an  individual,  against  which  the  Liberal  party  direct 
their  uncompromising  hostility. 

One  feature  in  the  oratory  of  Sir  Robert,  which  every  one 
who  ever  heard  him  must  have  observed,  is  the  practice  he 
has,  when  speaking  on  any  great  question,  of  striking  the  box 
which  lies  on  the  table,  at  regular  intervals,  with  his  right 
hand.  On  an  average,  he  gives  it  two  strokes  in  a  minute ;  and 
as  these  are  given  with  great  force,  and  the  box  is  remarkable 
for  its  acoustic  properties,  the  sound  is  distinctly  heard  in 
every  part  of  the  house,  and  considerably  aids  the  effect  which 
his  speech  would  otherwise  produce.  Sir  Robert  has  another 
feature  in  a  great  measure  peculiar  to  himself  when  address- 
ing the  house  on  topics  of  engrossing  interest ;  for  when  speak- 
ing on  matters  of  comparatively  trifling  moment  he  makes  no 
effort  to  produce  an  effect.  I  allude  to  his  practice  of  turning 
his  face  round  to  his  own  party  and  his  back  on  the  Speaker, 
when  he  is  urging  any  argument  which  appears  to  him  parti- 
cularly forcible,  and  which  he  thinks  likely  to  be  received  by 
them  with  peculiar  applause.  And  in  most  cases  he  is  won- 
derfully happy  in  his  guesses.  In  such  instances  he  looks  his 
party  significantly  in  the  face,  and  pauses  for  the  expected 
cheer,  which  is  scarcely  ever  refused  him,  and  which,  in  the 
great  majority  of  cases,  is  given  with  a  strength  of  lungs  and 
an  evident  cordiality  which  could  not  fail  to  satisfy  the  most 
ambitious  of  oratorical  distinction.  No  man  is  more  gratified 
with  applause  than  Sir  Robert ;  no  one  feels  more  mortified 
when  it  is  withheld,  or  not  given  with  that  liberality  which 
he  thinks  the  speech  deserved. 

When  hard  pressed  by  an  opponent,  the  right  honourable 
Baronet  usually  sits  with  his  left  knee  over  the  right,  his  left 
hand  thrust  into  the  breast  of  his  waistcoat,  and  his  hat  down 


04  M;:  KOHI:«T  1-1:1:1,. 

over  his  brow.  In  this  position  lie  sits  staring1  his  assailant  in 
the  face,  rather,  however,  with  a  serious  good-natured  look, 
than  with  one  expressive  of  anger. 

The  member  tor  Tannvorth,  though  a  man  of  great  talent, 
and  consummate  tact  in  adapting  himself  to  the  temper  and 
prejudices  of  the  House,  has  not  the  slightest  pretensions  to 
genius.  No  one  ever  knew  him  utter  a  great  philosophical 
truth  or  sublime  conception.  He  never  startles  or  delights 
his  audience  by  anything  of  striking  originality  ;  there  is  not 
a  single  passage  in  any  of  his  speeches,  which  the  auditor 
would  wish  to  preserve  in  his  memory  as  something  of  sur- 
passing grandeur.  He  never  descends  below  mediocrity ;  he 
is  generally  far  above  it — often  on  the  precincts  of  genius ; 
but  never  crosses  the  line  which  separates  it  from  mere  talent 
or  ability. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  first-rate  business  habits  of  the  right 
honourable  Baronet,  and  of  the  surprising  ease  with  which  he 
can  master  the  minutest  details  of  any  business  question  to 
which  he  applies  his  mind.  He  is  not,  however,  by  any  means 
a  man  of  extensive  information ;  on  the  contrary,  he  is  igno- 
rant on  some  questions  to  an  extent  discreditable  in  a  public 
man.  The  reader  will  have  some  difficulty  in  believing  the 
statement,  that  when  a  number  of  gentlemen  waited  on  him, 
when  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  on  the  subject  of  the  Re- 
peal of  the  Window  Tax,  he  expressed  his  opinion  that  no. 
landlord  of  a  house,  however  large  and  however  many  win- 
dows it  contained,  was  liable  to  be  charged  for  the  Window 
Tax,  if  the  house  was  so  let  out  as  that  no  one  lodger  occu- 
pied apartments  containing  more  than  eight  windows.  But 
though  ignorant  at  that  particular  time  with  regard  to  a  very 
important  fact  connected  with  his  office,  he  would  have  taken 
care,  before  submitting  any  statements  on  the  subject  to  Par- 
liament, to  have  made  himself  acquainted  with  all  its  details, 
and  thus  prevented  any  bungling  in  his  financial  measures. 

Sir  Robert  Peel,  though  always  disclaiming  any  anxiety  for 
office,  is  most  ambitious  of  that  honour.  He  is  quite  uncom- 
fortable in  Opposition :  he  is  only  in  his  element  when  in  place. 
In  his  speech  in  April  last,  tin  the  Irish  Church  question,  im- 
mediately before  the  division  which  sealed  the  fate  of  his 
Ministry,  he  declared  he  was  quite  indifferent  about  office, 
and  was  more  than  usually  jocular.  This  indifference,  how- 
ever, was  affected,  not  real ;  and  his  jokes  were  only  jokes  in 
words,  not  in  spirit;  for  I  chanced  to  see  him  on  his  way  home 
after  the  division,  and  a  more  perfect  picture  of  disappointed 


SIR  ROBERT  PEEL.  65 

ambition  I  never  saw  in  my  life.  Lavater  was  right  in  this 
instance,  though  he  should  be  wrong  in  every  other :  the  emo- 
tions of  Sir  Robert's  mind  were  visibly  expressed  in  his  coun- 
tenance. 

There  is  not  a  man  in  the  house  more  sensitive  on  the  sub- 
ject of  honour  than.  Sir  Robert.  You  may  apply  to  him  epi- 
thets which  are  synonymous  with  fool,  blockhead,  &c.  if  you 
please,  and  he  utters  not  a  word  of  complaint:  you  may  brand 
him  with  the  name  of  bigot,  either  in  politics  or  religion,  or 
both,  if  you  are  so  inclined,  and  he  murmurs  not  a  word  of  re- 
sentment; but  charge  him  with  anything,  either  in  his  private 
or  public  capacity,  inconsistent  with  the  character  of  a  man  of 
honour,  and  that  moment  he  demands  an  explanation,  which, 
if  not  satisfactory,  and  accompanied  by  a  full  retractation,  will 
be  followed  up,  before  he  quits  the  house,  by  a  challenge  to  a 
hostile  meeting  on  the  ensuing  morning. 

Sir  Robert  Peel  never  speaks  on  any  great  question  until 
immediately  before  the  close  of  the  debate,  however  often  that 
debate  may  be  adjourned.  His  object  is  two-fold — first,  that 
he  may  hear  all  that  may  be  urged  on  the  opposite  side  ;  and, 
secondly,  that  he  may  have  the  benefit  of  the  "  last  word." 
No  man  can  be  more  conscious  than  he  is  of  the  advantage  to 
the  cause  lie  espouses  of  a  skilful  reply,  immediately  before 
the  division,  to  the  principal  arguments  of  the  leading  speakers 
on  the  adverse  side  ;  and  certainly  no  man  that  ever  sat  within 
the  walls  of  Parliament  could  display  more  consummate  tact 
than  he  does  in  turning  that  advantage  to  account.  Never 
was  debater  more  acute  in  detecting  the  weak  points  of  an 
adversary,  nor  more  happy  in  exposing  and  placing  them  in 
the  most  prominent  point  of  view.  And  all  this  he  seems  to 
do  with  the  greatest  ease ;  without  any  appearance  of  effort. 
What  he  does  on  the  spur  of  the  moment  is  as  well  and  effec- 
tively done  as  if  it  had  been  the  result  of  months  of  premedita- 
tion. In  his  replies  to  speeches  which  were  delivered  but  a 
few  hours  before,  there  is  a  propriety  of  arrangement — a  lu- 
cidness  of  manner — a  vigour  and  closeness  of  reasoning — a 
purity  and  eloquence  of  style — a  felicity  in  the  delivery — and 
a,  fulness  and  completeness  in  the  argument,  which  could  not 
have  been  surpassed  had  the  speech  cost  him  weeks  of  the 
most  careful  preparation. 

Sir  Robert  is  the  idol  of  the  Tory' party.  With  the  Con- 
servatives in  the  House  of  Commons  everything  he  says  is 
oracular.  He  can  do  with  them  and  make  of  them  what  he 
pleases.  They  are  the  mere  creatures  of  his  will — are  aa 
6* 


<!0  SIR  IIOI1EUT  I'KI'I,. 

inucli  under  his  control, and  as  ready  to  ho  torm^d  ami  fashion- 
ed in  any  way  lio  chooses,  as  is  the  clay  in  (he  hands  of  the 
potter.  .\e\or  had  the  leader  of  a  party  a  more  complete  ;ts- 
mry  over  that,  party  than  lias  this  Tory  Coryphaeus  over 
the  Conservatives  in  the  I  louse  of  Commons. 

Sir  Robert's  political  character  is  not  yet  thoroughly  undrr- 
.  even  hy  his  most  intimate  friends.  It  i<  difficult  to  dis- 
criininato  in  him  between  what  is  real  ;;nd  \\  ha!  is  a-Mimed — 
het\veen  the  opinions  ho  enteruiins  and  the  line  of  conduct  lie 
pursues  from  principle,  and  those  opinions  with  which  he 
identifies  himself,  and  that  course  of  action  lie  follows,  from 
considerations  of  expediency. 

At  bottom  he  is  a  decided  Tory.  lie  went  on  pretty  com- 
fortably under  the  'dynasty  of  Kldon,  Sidmouth,  Castlereagh, 
&c.,  for  they  were  kindred  spirits.  With  them  he  had  a  fel- 
low-fooling. But  the  extinction  of  that  dynasty,  and  the  pro- 
gress of  liberal  principles,  often  induced  him  to  make  certain 
concessions  to  the  spirit  of  the  age.  Hence  he  began  to  make 
a  show  of  liberality,  though  his  principles  were  unchanged. 
It  was  the  principle  of  expediency  which  constrained  him  to 
consent  to  Catholic  Emancipation.  Tie  did  not  concur  in  that 
measure  from  any  sense  of  the  justice  of  the  claims  of  the 
Catholics  :  on  the  contrary,  he  admitted  his  opposition  to  their 
emancipation  was  overcome  by  considerations  of  irresistible 
expediency  alone.  Had  he  seen  the  possibility  of  preserving 
the  tranquillity  of  Ireland,  and  yet  refusing  the  demands  of 
the  Catholics  for  the  removal  of  their  civil  disabilities,  he 
would  have  opposed  that  removal  till  the  last  moment  of  his 
existence.  The  same  principle  has  been  his  guiding  star 
from  that  time  down  to  the  present  hour.  Had  he  contem- 
plated the  possibility  of  the  Reform  Bill  passing,  he  would,  in 
appearance,  have  thrown  his  Tory  prejudices  to  the  dogs, 
and  concurred  in  the  measure ;  but  he  clung  till  the  very  last 
to  the  hope  that  the  House  of  Lords  or  the  King,  would 
strangle  the  "monster."  On  his  accession  to  office  at  the 
close  of  last  year,  he  publicly  stated  that  he  would  not  repeal 
the  Reform  Bill.  Why  ?  Because,  in  his  heart,  he  loved  or 
approved  of  that  measure  1  No :  but  because  he  saw  the  at- 
tempt would  be  madness — that  it  would  not  only  have  thrown 
the  country  into  confusion,  but  doubtless  also  himself  from 
office.  Again,  in  the  case  of  the  Dissenters,  so  long  as  he 
thought  it  could  safely  be  done,  he  resisted  their  claims,  as 
he  previously  opposed  those  of  the  Catholics ;  but  when  he 
.saw  that  the  further  resistance  of  those  claims  was  incom- 


SIR  ROBERT  PEEL.  67 

patible  with  the  progress  of  public  opinion,  he  yielded  to  cir- 
cumstances, and  brought  in  a  bill  for  redressing  the  grievances 
of  that  class  of  his  Majesty's  subjects.  It  is  the  same  with 
regard  to  Municipal  Corporations.  These  were  dear  to  him 
as  the  apple  of  his  eye ;  but  he  saw  that  no  Ministry  could 
hold  together  for  any  length  of  time  which  resisted  their  re- 
form. Hence,  as  his  conduct  on  the  bringing  in  of  Lord  John 
Russell's  Bill  clearly  proved,  he  was  prepared,  had  not  his 
Ministry  previously  closed  its  career,  to  have  granted  a  liberal 
measure  of  Corporation  Reform. 

Sir  Robert  Peel  is  a  remarkably  suspicions  man ;  he  reposes 
but  little  confidence,  in  public  matters,  even  in  his  most  inti- 
mate political  friends.  He  is  pre-eminently  a  man  of  his  own 
counsels.  He  will  take  advice  from  no  one.  His  princely 
fortune  enables  him  to  act  with  perfect  independence,  and  no 
man  can  be  more  conscious  of  the  ascendancy  which  that  for- 
tune, conjoined  to  his  groat  talents,  has  given  him  over  his 
party.  He  is  well  aware  that  the  very  existence  of  that  party 
is  bound  up  in  him,  and  he  is,  moreover,  sensible  that  they 
are  equally  conscious  of  the  fact.  Hence  he  knows  that  he 
may  with  impunity  conceal  from  them  what  particular  course 
he  intends  to  pursue  on  any  given  question,  and  that,  how- 
ever much  they  may  disapprove  of  that  course,  they  will  soon 
be  compelled,  by  the  necessity  of  the  case,  to  feign,  if  they  do 
not  feel,  a  disposition  to  acquiesce  in  it.  His  conduct  on  the 
bringing  in  of  Lord  John  Russell's  Bill  for  the  Reform  of  Mu- 
nicipal Corporations,  afforded  one  out  of  many  instances  of 
the  ignorance  in  which  he  keeps  his  political  friends  as  to 
the  course  he  intends  to  pursue  with  respect  to  particular 
measures.  They  all  went  down  to  the  house  that  night,  under 
the  decided  impression  that  Sir  Robert  meant  to  proclaim  his 
most  uncompromising  opposition  not  only  to  the  bill  itself,  but 
to  the  very  principle  of  the  measure.  Never  shall  I  forget 
the  surprise  and  horror  which  their  countenances  expressed 
when  he  rose,  and  after  two  or  three  introductory  remarks, 
avowed  not  only  his  approbation  of  the  principle  of  the  bill, 
but  of  the  great  majority  of  its  details.  Had  the  Tories  read 
in  the  words  of  their  chief,  the  immediate  and  utter  extinction 
of  their  party,  they  could  not  have  looked  more  confounded 
than  they  did  on  that  occasion.  They  knew,  however,  that  if 
with  him  resistance  to  Corporation  Reform  would  at  best  be 
but  a  doubtful  experiment,  it  would  have  been  a  piece  of  pure 
madness  to  attempt  it  without  him.  Hence  they  were  one 


68  MR.  GOrLBURN. 

and  nil  speechless:  not  a  whisper  of  disapprobation  of  the 

measure  was  to  he  heard  on  tin-  Tory  heiiches. 

During  the  short  period  tliat  Sir  Robert  Peel  was  Prime 
Minister,  there  was  no  one  among  the  Opposition  lie  so  much 
dreaded  as  Sir  John  Cam  Jlobhoitse.  Sir  John  knew  his  sore 
points,  and  took  care  to  profit  by  his  knu\\  led^e.  Without 
making  such  allusions  to  Sir  Robert  as  the  hitter  could  fairly 
consider  as  meant  to  be  personally  offensive',  he  heaped  his 
taunts  and  sarcasms  on  the  devoted  head  of  the  First  Minister 
of  the  Crown  so  unsparingly,  and  with  such  eiiect,  that  Sir 
Robert  literally  writhed  under  them.  On  several  occasions, 
during  Sir  John's  attack  on  him,  in  reference  to  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  Marquis  of  Londonderry  as  our  Ambassador  at 
the  Court  of  St.  Petersburg!!,  I  observed, — and  every  one  who 
had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  him  must  also  have  observed, — 
that  his  countenance  became  pale  as  death,  and  the  cheers 
with  which  the  most  pointed  passages  of  Sir  John's  speech 
were  received,  must  have  been  as  mortifying  to  him  as  the 
speech  itself.  When  Sir  John  told  him  that  he  was  the  vic- 
tim of  the  Stanley  party,  who  amused  themselves  with  him 
as  they  pleased,  and  could,  by  a  single  breath,  extinguish  his 
Government; — when  he  observed  that  the  Opposition  were, 
in  point  of  fact,  the  Executive,  inasmuch  as  they  had  a  ma- 
jority on  all  important  questions; — when  he  reproached  Sir 
Robert  with  a  want  of  spirit,  in  retaining  office  after  being 
defeated  on  all  questions  of  importance; — and  when  he  con- 
trasted the  professions  of  liberal  principles  which  the  "right 
honourable  Baronet  had  then  made,  with  his  strenuous  opposi- 
tion to  them  during  the  whole  of  his  previous  public  life, — 
the  deafening  plaudits  which  followed,  as  well  as  the  observa- 
tions themselves,  must  have  been  gall  and  wormwood  to  Sir 
Robert's  soul. 

Mr.  GOULBURN,  member  for  the  Cambridge  University, 
holds  a  distinguished  place  among  the  Tory  party.  In  person 
he  is  rather  above  the  middle  size.  He  may  be  considered  a 
handsome  man,  though  his  head  has,  of  late  years,  leaned  a 
little  to  the  left  side.  His  countenance  has  a  thoughtful 
aspect  His  features  are  strongly  marked.  Incipient  wrinkles, 
in  several  parts  of  his  face,  begin  to  show  themselves.  His 
complexion  is  fair,  and  his  hair  of  a  light  brown  colour.  On 
the  crown  of  his  head  there  is  a  partial  baldness.  His  ap- 
pearance is  much  in  his  favour,  and  his  manner  of  delivery  is 
easy  and  graceful.  He  has  a  fine  musical  voice,  and  times 
his  utterance  with  much  judgment  to  the  ear.  Before,  how- 


SIR  EDWARD  KNATCHBULL.  69 

ever,  proceeding  many  sentences,  the  favourable  impression 
created  by  his  persona]  appearance  and  correct  elocution 
must,  in  a  great  measure,  be  neutralized  in  the  mind  of  a 
person  of  opposite  opinions,  by  his  extreme  High  Church  and 
State  notions.  There  are  few  more  zealous  or  decided  Tories 
in  the  House ;  and  perhaps  there  are  few  men  of  any  party 
who  would  make  greater  sacrifices  for  his  principles.  He 
would  rather  suffer  a  dozen  martyrdoms  than  compromise  the 
least  iota  of  his  creed.  The  sincerity  of  his  opinions  has  never, 
so  far  as  I  am  aware,  been  questioned.  What  he  has  chiefly 
distinguished  himself  for,  is  zealously  defending  the  Esta- 
blished Church,  and  giving  the  most  determined  opposition  to 
any  concessions  to  Roman  Catholics  or  Dissenters.  It  is  ad- 
mitted by  his  own  most  intimate  friends,  that  he  carries  his 
hostility  to  the  latter  to  a  very  unusual  extent.  On  one  occa- 
sion he  publicly  stated,  that  if  Dissenters  were  admitted  to 
the  University  of  Oxford,  he  would  not  allow  his  son  to  re- 
main in  that  institution  ;  nor  would  he,  in  any  other  place,  or 
under  any  other  circumstances,  allow  that  son  to  associate 
with  Dissenters.  He  stands  erect  on  the  seven-leagued  stilts 
of  his  High  Church  creed,  and  looks  down  with  ineffable  scorn 
on  those  of  a  different  persuasion.  He  is  most  thoroughly 
persuaded  in  his  own  mind, — and  it  is  but  justice  to  him  to 
add  that  he  is  not  peculiar  in  his  opinion, — that  any  civil  con- 
cessions to  the  Dissenters  would  be  incompatible  with  the 
existence  of  the  Established  Church.  Hence,  most  probably, 
his  very  decided  dislike  of  that  body.  The  Whigs  and  Radi- 
cals he  considers  as  being,  for  the  most  part,  Jacobins  and 
infidels,  resolutely  bent  on  the  destruction  of  the  throne  and 
altar ;  and,  as  he  is  always  open  and  honest  in  the  expression 
of  his  opinions,  he  has  repeatedly  given  utterance  to  words  to 
this  effect.  He  has  great  self-confidence  in  speaking,  arising, 
in  a  great  measure,  from  a  very  exalted  opinion  of  his  talents. 
He  is  never  at  a  loss  for  words.  His  language  is  faultless, 
but  he  wants  stamina.  He  is,  as  Hamlet  says,  "  words,  words, 
words."  He  never,  even  by  chance,  stumbles  on  a  single 
striking  idea.  His  oratory  leaves  no  impression  ;  you  forget 
everything  he  said  the  moment  he  resumes  his  seat.  He 
chiefly  delights  in  reply,  and  seldom  makes  a  set  speech  on 
any  subject.  He  does  not  appear  to  be  a  great  favourite  with 
the  more  liberal  members  of  his  own  party.  He  is  in  his  fifty- 
first  year. 

Sir  EDWARD  KNATCHBULL  has  in  many  respects  a  fellow 
feeling  with  Mr.  Goulburn  as  regards  religion  and  politics; 


70  MIJ  IM:MI\  u.utmv 

but  Sir  Edward  is  constitutionally  a  better-tempered  man; 
has  a  very  hiimhle  estimate  ni'  Ins  own  powers,  and  is  by  uo 
:s  offensive  or  flippant  in  his  manner.  Sir  Kdward  is  a 
venerable  looking  man,  fifty-four  years  of  age,  and  with  a 
head  ot'hair  \vliite  as  snow,  lie  has  small  pleasant  eyes,  and 
one  of  the  highest  foreheads  I  ever  saw.  The  principles  of 
physiognomy  do  not  hold  good  in  him.  1  never  saw  a  better 
nature!  or  more  mild  and  amiable  expression  of  countenance, 
and  yet  he  cannot  endure  opinions  and  principles  which  are 
opposed  to  his  own.  He  is  a  tolerable  speaker:  his  utterance 
is  easy  and  on  the  whole  natural.  He  does  not  use  much 
gesture,  though  he  occasionally  becomes  highly  animated  in 
his  voice,  which  is  in  some  degree  musical,  and  of  consider- 
able compass.  He  docs  not,  speak  often ;  when  he  does  so,  it 
is  generally  because  of  some  personal  allusions  to  himself. 
He  bears  the  severest  attacks  with  an  edifying  degree  of 
calmness  and  good-nature  ;  and  yet  when  he  rises  to  reply  to 
them,  does  so  with  much  spirit  and  effect.  To  say  that  he  is 
brilliant,  would  be  as  remote  from  the  truth  as  to  describe  him 
as  the  brainless  personage  which  the  Liberal  journals  gene- 
rally represent  him  to  be.  He  is  in  truth  a  man  of  very  re- 
spectable talents,  and  would  exercise  some  influence  in  the 
political  world  but  for  the  high  Toryism  of  his  opinions,  and 
his  want  of  prudence  in  promulgating  them. 

Sir  HENRY  HARDINGE  is  a  man  of  considerable  importance 
in  the  estimation  of  the  Tories.  He  is  a  person  of  gentle- 
manly appearance,  rather  above  the  middle  stature,  and  well 
made.  He  is  about  fitly  years  of  age.  His  hair  is  of  a  light 
brown  colour,  and  his  complexion  fair.  He  lost  one  of  his 
hands  when  serving  under  the  Duke  of  Wellington  in  the 
Peninsula.  His  forehead  is  prominent  and  has  an  intellectual 
cast.  He  is  doubtless  a  man  of  highly  respectable  talents,  but 
nothing  more.  He  is  not,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term,  an 
orator,  but  often  makes  effective  speeches,  and  is  always 
listened  to  by  both  sides  of  the  House  with  attention  and  re- 
spect. He  knows  well  how  to  repel  an  attack,  and  if  he  deems 
it  personal,  demands  an  explanation  and  apology,  or  hints 
pretty  plainly  that  there  is  but  one  alternative.  He  is  not 
pert  or  flippant  in  his  manner,  nor  does  he  indulge  in  persona- 
lities; but  he  is  easily  irritated  by  the  animadversions  of  others, 
and  is  apt  to  construe  that  into  a  personal  insult  which  did  not 
exceed  the  bounds  of  fair  and  temperate  discussion.  An  in- 
stance of  this,  which  but  for  the  interference  of  the  House 
and  the  Speaker,  might  have  been  attended  with  fatal  conse- 


SIR  ROBERT  ING  US.  71 

quences,  occurred  immediately  before  the  dissolution  of  Sir 
Robert  Peel's  Ministry.  Mr.  Barren,  one  of  the  Irish  mem- 
bers, accused  Sir  Robert's  Administration  of  acting  a  most 
discreditable  part  in  affecting  Reform  principles,  though  they 
had  opposed  them  all  their  lives,  for  the  sake  of  being  able  to 
hold  office.  Though  this  was  the  language  of  many,  and 
though  no  individual  allusion  was  made  to  Sir  Henry,  he  im- 
mediately rose  and  heaped  the  most  contemptuous  epithets  on 
Mr.  Barron,  which  the  latter  gentleman,  as  being  the  person 
attacked,  hurled  back  with  the  same  contempt  on  Sir  Henry's 
head.  A  violent  altercation  ensued ;  and  as  each  in  effect 
challenged  the  other,  a  hostile  meeting  must  certainly  have 
taken  place  between  the  parties  on  the  following  morning,  had 
not  the  House  and  Speaker,  as  already  intimated,  interfered 
and  demanded  an  apology  from  both  parties. 

Sir  ROBERT  INOLIS  is  a  man  of  some  consequence  among 
the  Tories.  He  is  of  middle  size  in  personal  height,  but  very 
corpulent.  His  complexion  is  fair,  with  a  tendency  to  ruddi- 
ness. His  hair  is  of  a  dark  brown,  but  a  considerable  part  of 
his  head  is  bald.  His  features  are  rather  large,  and  his  face 
very  full  ami  round.  He  is  remarkably  peaceable  in  his  dis- 
position, and  would  not  for  the  world  make  any  observation 
respecting  his  opponents  if  he  thought  they  would  have  any 
cause  for  personal  complaint ;  and  lest  anything  he  says  by 
way  of  animadversion  on  those  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
house  should  be  so  construed,  he  is  sure  to  preface  his  remarks 
by  disclaiming  all  personal  allusions,  and  very  often  by  assur- 
ing the  party  to  be  animadverted  on,  that  he  does  question  the 
propriety  of  his  conduct  or  his  speech  with  great  pain  to  him- 
self. A  rather  amusing  instance  of  this,  in  consequence  of 
the  remarks  which  it  called  forth,  occurred  in  June  last,  when 
he  charged  Mr.  O'Connell,  Mr.  Shiel,  and  all  the  other  Roman 
Catholic  Members  with  perjury.  He  protested  that  nothing 
could  cause  him  greater  uneasiness  of  mind  than  to  be  called 
on  to  prefer  such  a  charge ;  and  those  who  knew  the  right 
honourable  Baronet  must  give  him  credits  for  sincerity  when 
he  made  such  a  protestation.  He  is  a  religious  man;  he  be- 
longs to  the  Evangelical  party  in  the  Church  ;  and  it  was  from 
religious  considerations  that  he  thought  he  was  bound  to  ad- 
monish the  Roman  Catholic  members  of  the  spiritual  peril 
they  incurred  by  voting  as  they  did  on  the  Irish  Church  Ap- 
propriation clause,  after  they  had  solemnly  sworn  to  do  nothinjr 
tlifit  could  affect  the  interests  or  stability  of  that  Church.  Mr, 
SiiK.Ts  reply  was  remarkable  for  its  ability  ojid  severity. 


1^  sill  KOHKKT  1M.I.1S. 

Mr.  O'ConnellV  was  iu>t  ostensibly  so  severe,  but  to  a  sensi- 
tive relined  mind  it  must  have  been  more  galling;  he  charac- 
terised the  right  boDountble  n.inmet  as  '•  iiit,  sleek,  and  con- 
tented," which  is  jns-t  Sir  Robert's  ciiaracter  to  a  nieet.y,  and 
.  in  his  <i\vn  peculiar  stylo,  amidst  bursts  of  laughter 
loud  and  uni\ei>al,  "Oh!  the  misery  of  being  taunted  with 
perjury  in  such  a  drawling1,  hum-drum  speech  !  \\  liy,  the 
whining  manner  in  which  the  charge  is  made  id  worse,  than 
the  charge  itself!"  Sir  Robert  does  speak  in  a  draw  liner, 
whining  sort  of  way.  His  enunciation  is  distinct,  and  he 
talks  with  ease  and  fluency;  but  there  is  a  peculiar  tone  in 
his  pronunciation,  which  were  much  better  adapted  to  the 
pulpit  than  it  is  to  the  senate.  There  is  not  a  more  upright  • 
or  conscientious  man  in  the  house.  He  is  accused  of  bigotry 
and  a  want  of  charity  to  those  beyond  the  pale  of  the  Esta- 
blished Church;  but  he  never  utters  a  sentiment  which  he 
does  not  sincerely  entertain.  There  is,  moreover,  this  re- 
deeming quality  in  his  alleged  bigotry — he  cordially  pities 
those  \\hoin  his  creed  obliges  him  to  condemn.  He  is  sorry 
to  be  compelled  to  doom  you  to  what  Byron  calls  "  the  zealot's 
ready  hell,"  but  he  cannot  help  it.  lie  abhors  the  very  idea 
of  expediency,  and  would  not  on  any  consideration  yield  to 
the  spirit  of  the  age,  the  march  of  intellect,  or  whatever  else 
it  may  be  termed,  one  single  iota  of  his  principles.  His  go- 
verning maxim  is,  "  Let  justice  and  right  be  done,  though  the 
heavens  should  fall."  Sir  Robert  scarcely  ever  speaks  except 
on  questions  which  bear  directly  on  the  interests  of  the  church. 
She  is  ever  uppermost  in  his  mind,  and  he  is  at  all  times  for- 
ward to  defend  her  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  He  is  a  man  of 
respectable  talent,  but  nothing  more.  Both  his  matter  and 
manner  are  always  of  the  same  order  of  merit.  As  he  never 
intentionally  wounds  the  feelings  of  any  opponent,  so  he  never 
resents  any  attack  that  may  be  made  on  him.  In  fact,  he  may 
be  said  to  be  impervious  to  attack.  He  bears,  with  the  most 
perfect  equanimity,  sarcasms  and  ridicule  which  would  make 
other  honourable  members,  of  more  keen  susceptibility  of 
mind,  agonize  on  their  seats.  Sir  Robert  is  now  in  his  forty- 
ninth  year.  It  is  his  excellent  and  consistent  character  which 
makes  him  of  the  importance  he  is  to  his  party.  The  best 
speech  I  ever  heard  him  make  was  when,  in  the  session  of 
1834,  he  resisted  the  proposed  admission  of  the  Dissenters  to 
the  University  of  Oxford.  That  speech  was  full  of  historical 
research,  well  digested,  and  brought  to  bear  with  effect  on  the 
question  before  the  House.  It  was  listened  to  with  attention 


LORD  SA.NDON.  73 

by  honourable  members  generally,  and  was  loudly  applauded 
by  his  own  party.  With  the  exception  of  Sir  Robert  Peel's, 
it  was  undoubtedly  the  best  speech  delivered  on  the  occasion 
from  the  Tory  side  of  the  house.  The  University  of  Oxford 
could  not,  were  it  to  go  on  a  tour  of  inquiry  through  the 
country  for  the  purpose,  find  a  more  fitting  member  than  Sir 
Robert  Inglis. 

Lord  SANDON,  member  from  Liverpool,  has  latterly  been 
looked  on  by  the  Tories  as  a  man  of  some  mark.  For  some 
time  before  the  passing  of  the  Reform  Bill,  and  during  the  time 
it  was  under  discussion  in  the  Lower  House,  he  was  generally 
supposed  to  be  a  nobleman  of  Liberal  sentiments.  So  far  as 
supporting  the  Reform  measure  as  a  whole,  though  opposing 
several  of  its  most  important  clauses,  entitled  him  to  be  so 
considered,  the  public,  in  this  respect,  did  him  no  more  than 
justice.  For  some  time,  too,  after  the  Reform  Bill  became  the 
law  of  the  land,  the  frequency  with  which  he  supported,  both 
by  his  speeches  and  votes,  the  measures  of  Lord  Grey's  Mi- 
nistry, entitled  him  to  at  least  the  credit  of  being  a  moderate 
Reformer ;  but  his  opponents  allege  that  his  support  of  Liberal 
measures  did  not  flow  from  his  attachment  to  Liberal  princi- 
ples, but  was  rather  the  result  of  that  shrewd,  calculating 
prudence,  which  led  him  to  swim  with  the  torrent  which  he 
saw  could  not  be  stemmed.  He  is,  they  say,  quite  an  expe- 
diency-man, and  that  no  one  knows  better  than  he  how  to 
make  a  virtue  of  necessity.  In  support  of  this  opinion,  they 
point  to  his  conduct  on  a  recent  occasion.  The  Ministry  of 
Lord  Melbourne  was  ejected  from  office,  and  that  of  Sir  Robert 
Peel  was  formed  under  circumstances  which  seemed  to  him 
to  insure  the  permanent  restoration  of  the  Tories  to  power ; 
and  accordingly,  no  sooner  had  the  new  Parliament  met,  than 
he  proclaimed  himself,  both  by  words  and  deeds,  a  Tory  "  of 
the  right  sort."  He  clung  till  the  very  last  moment,  as  fondly 
as  did  Sir  Robert  Peel  himself,  to  the  hope  of  weathering  the 
storm  by  which  the  Tory  party  found  themselves  overtaken. 
He  soon  saw,  however,  with  infinite  disappointment  and  mor- 
tification, that  he  had  leaned  on  a  broken  reed :  he  saw  the 
"  Conservative  Administration" — the  name  by  which  he  de- 
lighted to  call  Sir  Robert  Peel's  Ministry — dashed  to  pieces. 
Since  that  time,  however,  he  has  still  identified  himself  with 
his  Conservative  friends. 

Lord  Sandon  is  a  plain-looking  man,  with  a  rather  serious  . 
cast  of  countenance.     He  is  in  his  thirty-seventh  year.     lie 
is  somewhat  above  the  middle  size,  and  slenderly  made.     His 
7 


71  MR  I'll  BAD. 

t;ico  is  slightly  pitted  with  the  small-pox.  His  voice  is  harsh 
ami  croaking  in  its  tones.  Hi1  is  a  miserable  speaker:  In-  is 
not  only  pcnectly  innocent  of  ever  having  given  birth  to  an 
eloquent  sentence,  but  he  cannot  even  talk — notwithstanding 
his  excessive  Ibmlness  for  talking — with  tolerable  fluency. 
He  stammers  at  every  second  or  third  sentence;  corrects  his 
phraseology  over  and  over  again,  and  yet  often  leaves  the  sen- 
tence, with  its  latest  amendment,  as  much  in  need  of  correc- 
tion as  at  first.  Nor  is  his  manner  in  any  degree  redeemed 
by  his  matter.  He  never  by  chance  rises  above  mediocrity, 
but  is  generally  found  grovelling  below  it.  He  is  one  of  the 
many  members  who  are  under  some  obligations  to  the  "  gen- 
tlemen of  the  press."  It  is  a  much  more  agreeable  task  to 
read  than  to  hear  his  Parliamentary  orations. 

Lord  Sandon,  notwithstanding  his  defects  as  a  public 
speaker,  is  a  nobleman  of  some  weight  in  the  house,  espe- 
cially, as  a1  ready  observed,  with  the  Tory  party.  He  belongs 
to  a  most  respectable  family.  He  is  the  eldest  son  of  the 
Earl  of  Harrowby ;  is  the  representative  of  a  large,  populous, 
and  influential  place  ;  is  very  exemplary  in  all  the  private 
relations  of  life :  and  these  are  circumstances  and  attributes 
which,  when  they  centre  in  one  individual,  never  fail  to 
command  respect  both  within  and  without  the  house. 

Mr.  PRAED,  the  member  for  Yarmouth,  is,  owing  to  acci- 
dental circumstances,  deserving  of  a  few  words  in  speaking 
of  the  Tory  party.  He  is  a  young  man,  being  under  thirty- 
five  years  of  age.  His  violent  denunciations  of  the  Reform 
Bill,  and  his  pertinacity  in  opposing  it  clause  by  clause  when 
in  Committee,  together  with  his  great  self-confidence  and  a 
strong  yet  distinct  and  musical  voice, — were  circumstances 
which  conspired  together  to  make  the  Tories  look  on  him  as 
a  youth  of  great  promise.  Some  of  them  indeed  thought,  that 
in  him  their  cause  had  found  a  host.  These  pleasing  ex- 
pectations, however,  were  soon  doomed  to  be  in  a  great 
measure  disappointed.  The  Reform  Bill  passed,  and,  like 
Othello,  he  found  his  occupation  gone.  He  has  still  a  seat  in 
Parliament,  but  his  patron  and  party  think  he  sits  a  great 
deal  too  much  ; — indeed  he  rarely  speaks.  He  is  undoubtedly 
a  man  of  considerable  talent ;  but  is  not  qualified  to  speak  on 
any  abstruse  or  comprehensive  question.  His  mind  was  never 
made  to  grapple  with  first  principles.  His  forte  lies  in  nibbling 
at  the  details  of  a  measure.  He  is  a  good  speaker,  and  has 
always  an  abundance  of  high-sounding  words  at  command. 
In  person  he  is  tall  and  slender.  I  should  think  he  stands  full 


MR.  C.  W.  \V.  WYNN.  75 

six-feet-two.  His  complexion  is  dark,  and  his  features  large 
and  marked.  When  he.  now  speaks,  he  generally  gives  the 
House  a  second  edition,  with  alterations  and  additions,  of  some 
article  which  appeared  the  same  or  previous  day  in  the 
Morning  Post,  to  which  journal  lie1  is  well  known  to  be 
a  stated  contributor  of  "  leaders."  Indeed,  he  is  very  gene- 
rally supposed  to  be  one  of  the  salaried  editors.  He,  however, 
denies  it ;  and  no  one  has  a  right,  in  the  absence  of  contrary 
proof,  to  discredit  his  word. 

Mr.  C.  W.  W.  WYNN,  the  member  for  Montgomeryshire, 
ought  not  to  be  passed  over  in  a  notice  of  the  Tory  party.  In 
person  he  is  of  the  middle  size,  rather,  if  anything,  inclined  to 
corpulency.  He  has  a  round  face,  is  of  dark  complexion,  and 
slightly  pitted  with  the  small-pox.  His  hair  was  formerly 
dark,  but  is  now  beginning  to  turn  gray.  He  is  in  his  sixtieth 
year.  His  voice  is  more  extraordinary  than  that  of  any 
honourable  member  in  the  house.  I  shall  never  forget  how 
singularly  it  sounded  in  my  ears  the  first  time  I  heard  the 
right  honourable  gentleman  speak.  It  is  impossible  to  describe 
it.  You  would  sometimes  think  that  the  sound  proceeded  from 
the  back  of  his  head,  instead  of  from  his  mouth.  He  often  falls 
into  so  screeching  a  tone  as  to  impair  the  articulation  of  the 
word  altogether ;  for  he  does  not  pitch  his  voice  at  a  very 
high  key.  He  has,"  besides  an  indescribable  sort  of  lisp  by 
which  he  mars  the  correct  pronunciation  of  almost  every 
word.  For  example,  if  he  were  to  commence  his  speech  as 
follows — "I  rise,  Sir,  for  the  purpose  of  asking  the,"  &c.  he 
would  pronounce  it  thus  : — "  I  rithe,  ther,  for  the  purpothe  of 
athking  the,"  &c.  And  yet,  when  once  the  ear  is  accus- 
tomed to  his  curious  delivery,  it  is  by  no  means  unpleasant. 
He  makes  great  professions  of  liberality  ;  but  he  is  at  bottom 
a  genuine  Tory  of  the  Ultra  school.  He  has  some  intellect, 
thousfh  not  so  much  as  he  takes  credit  for.  He  often  takes 
the  common-sense  view  of  questions  not  immediately  bearing 
on  party  objects ;  but  at  other  times  he  is  quite  unintelligi- 
ble. .1  have  known  him  speak  for  an  hour  at  a  time,  and 
would  have  defied  any  man  to  say  which  side  of  the 
question  he  was  advocating.  His  speech,  in  1834,  on  the 
question  of  the  propriety  of  admitting  Dissenters  to  the 
Universities  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  was  a  case  in  point. 
On  that  occasion  he  scerned  as  much  lost  in  history,  religion, 
and  politics,  as  Milton's  angels  were  in  the  "  wandering 
maze.;"  of  "  fixed-fate,  free-will,  foreknowledge  absolute." 
Several  members  inquired  of  each  other,  when  he  sat  down, 


70  LORD  MAIION (  OI,OM:t,  SlUTHOUl'E. 

which  siil;1  ho  was  for.  lie  is  never  at  a  loss  for  words,  hut 
his  matter  i.s  insufferably  prosy.  His  sentences  are  correctly 
constructed  without  the  h'a-t  glimmering  of  eloquence  ever 
struggling  through  them.  He  speaks  o!len,  and  is  seldom 
listened  to  with  much  attention. 

hold  Al.uio.N  is  a  young  nobleman  from  whom  the  Tories 
expect,  great  tilings.  His  Lordship  is  certainly  a  man  of  some 
promise,  though  not  half  so  much  as  his  party  set  him  down 
for.  He  is  member  for  Hertford.  He  is  very  young,  being 
only  in  his  thirty-third  year.  He  is  in  person  rather  below 
the  middle  size,  and  is  of  slender  make.  He  is  of  fair  com- 
plexion, with  something  of  a  feminine  cast  of  countenance. 
His  manner  when  speaking  is  easy  and  unassuming.  He 
makes  no  effort  to  shine  as  an  orator.  He  has  neither  anima- 
tion in  his  elocution,  nor  does  he  use  any  gesture.  He  pitches 
his  voice  at  a  certain  key — neither  too  high  nor  too  low ;  and 
goes  through  and  finishes  his  speech  in  the  same  tone  as  he 
began.  His  manner  is  pleasant  and  his  voice  grateful  to  the 
ear.  He  excels  in  giving  a  statement  of  facts  and  turning 
them  to  the  best  account  for  his  own  view  of  a  question.  The 
best  speech  I  have  heard  him  make,  was  in  the  beginning  of 
June  this  year,  when  he  moved  for  the  production  of  papers 
relative  to  the  Order  in  Council  authorizing  the  fitting  out  in 
this  country  of  an  expedition  to  Spain.  Lord  Mahon  does  not 
speak  often,  but  when  he  does  he  is  always  listened  to  with 
much  respect  and  attention.  He  is  understood  to  be  a  personal 
favourite  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington. 

I  now  come  to  decidedly  the  most  curious  personage,  all 
tilings  considered,  in  the  House — whether  on  the  Tory,  Neu- 
tral, Whig,  or  Radical  side.  Honourable  members  will  guess 
who  I  mean.  I  think  I  hear  them  with  one  accord  pronouncing 
the  name  of  Colonel  SIBTHORPE,  the  member  for  Lincoln. 
There  is  not  a  greater  Tory  than  the  gallant  Colonel  in  the 
house ;  but  the  notoriety  he  possesses  could  never  have  been 
acquired  by  that  circumstance  alone  ;  for  though  there  are 
none  greater,  there  are  several  as  great.  His  eccentric  man- 
ners have  done  a  great  deal  to  bring  him  into  notice.  He  lias 
all  the  singularity,  all  the  horror  of  Liberal  principles,  much 
of  the  attachment  to  Toryism,  and  a  great  deal  of  the  humour, 
of  Sir  Charles  Wetherell,  though  without  a  particle  of  his 
talent.  Even  all  this,  however,  would  never  have  secured  to 
him  his  surpassing  notoriety.  It  is  his  physiognomy,  embel- 
lished as  it  is  by  his  whiskers  and  moustachios,  that  lias  clearly 
made  him  what  he  is.  Denude  him  of  these, — apply  a  razor 


COLONEL  SIBTHORPE.  77 

or  a  pair  of  scissors  to  his  face,  commencing  the  operation  at 
jone  ear  and  ending  with  the  other, — and  the  gallant  Colonel 
would  be  nothing — not  even  a  personage  at  whose  expense  a 
joke  might  be  innocently  enjoyed.  He  would  in  that  case  be 
like  Sampson  shorn  of  his  strength,  when  cropped  by  the 
Philistines. 

Colonel  Sibthorpe's  countenance  is  altogether  unique.  It 
stands  out  in  broad  relief  from  the  countenances  of  all  the 
•other  members.  Two  or  three  other  senators  rejoice  in  tufts, 
and  a  few  more  in  whiskers  of  decent  proportions ;  but  com- 
pared with  the  moustachios  and  whiskers  of  the  gallant  Colonel, 
one  feels  indignant  that  they  should  be  dignified  by  the  name. 
The  lower  section  of  his  face,  drawing  a  straight  line  from  ear 
to  ear,  immediately  under  his  nose,  is  one  dense  forest  of  hair. 
Had  Dominie  Sampson  been  fated  to  witness  the  whiskers  and 
moustachios  of  the  gallant  Colonel,  he  would  have  exclaimed 
"  Prodigious!"  for  hours  together.  You  hardly  know  whether 
he  has  a  mouth  or  not — it  is  so  completely  buried  amidst  the 
surrounding  crop  of  hair — until  he  begins  to  speak.  He  in 
extremely  proud  of  his  whiskers  and  moustachios.  He  would 
do  and  suffer  a  great  deal  for  his  party  and  principles ;  but 
rather  than  submit  to  be  shaved,  he  would  see  Tories,  Toryism, 
Constitution  and  all,  scattered  to  the  four  winds.  As  already 
hinted,  the  gallant  Colonel's  countenance  is  not  of  the  most 
prepossessing  kind,  and  yet,  in  defiance  of  the  maxim  that 
"  they  who  live  in  houses  of  glass  should  take  care  not  to 
throw  stones,"  he  has  a  sort  of  penchant  for  finding  fault  with 
the  countenances  of  others.  Immediately  after  the  dissolution 
of  Sir  Robert  Peel's  Ministry,  he  let  loose  on  the  Ministerial 
side  of  the  House  in  the  following  strain: — 

"  Those  honourable  gentlemen  opposite  (the  new  ministry) 
will  require  at  least  three  months  before  they  are  what  is 
called  comfortable  in  their  offices — (Cheers  and  laughter) — 
and  before  they  could  enter  and  sit  upon  their  new  and,  as  he 
trusted  they  would  always  be  to  them,  thorny  seats — (Re- 
newed cheers  and  laughter).  When  he  saw  those  twenty- 
three  gentlemen  now  going  to  enter  the  lists  like  racing 
horses,  but  not  like  horses  of  true  mettle,  but  like  splintered, 
spavined,  broken-winded  racers- — (Great  laughter),  with  not  a 
single  sound  one  amongst  them — (Renewed  laughter) ;  when 
he  saw  such  a  state  of  things,  and  the  country  in  such  a 
condition,  he  must  protest  against  a  motion  in  every  respect 
so  unjustifiable.  He  was  no  party  man — he  had  never  acted 
from  party  feelings ;  but  he  must  say  he  did  not  like  the 
7* 


78  COLO  .NET,  SIBTHORPE. 

rnimtnianrra  of  honourable  gentlemen  opposite — (Loud  laugh- 
ter)— tor  he  believed  them  to  be  the  index  to  their  minds — 
(Continued  laughter),  lie  would  only  say  in  conclusion,  that 
he  earnestly  hoped  that  God  would  grant  the  country  a  speedy 
deliverance  from  such  a  band — (Shouts  of  laughter)." 

Mr.  O'Connell,  in  reply,  said  "He  would  not  quarrel  with 
the  observations  of  the  gallant  Colonel ;  they  were  delivered 
with  so  much  good  humour,  tmd  were  like  everything  that 
fell  from  him,  couched  in  the  language  of  gentlemanly  polite- 
ness— (Laughter).  But  on  one  point  at  least  he  must  differ 
from  the  gallant  Colonel.  They  who  sat  on  that  (the  ministe- 
rial side  of  the  House)  certainly  had  not  such  remarkable 
countenances  as  that  of  the  gallant  Colonel — (Peals  of  laugh- 
ter). He  would  not  abate  the  gallant  Colonel  a  single  hair 
(Renewed  laughter)  in  point  of  good  humour  on  that  or  any 
other  occasion." 

Considered  as  a  speaker,  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  describe  the 
gallant  Colonel.  Sometimes  he  delivers  himself  in  so  low 
and  indistinct  a  tone  as  to  be  inaudible  to  all  but  those  imme- 
diately around  him  ;  at  others,  he  makes  himself  heard  in  the 
remotest  part  of  the  house.  Sometimes  he  is  full  of  fun,  call- 
ing into  full  play  the  risible  faculties  of  his  auditors  ;  at  others 
he  has  all  the  solemnity  of  a  Daniel  come  to  judgment. 
When  in  the  former  mood,  he  is  remarkably  well  pleased 
with  himself  and  his  jokes ;  when  in  the  latter,  you  would 
take  it  for  granted  that  he  fancies  the  world  is  come  to  an 
end.  When  in  a  funny  humour  his  right  arm  is  put  into  great 
requisition ;  he  beats  the  air  with  it  in  all  directions,  but 
chiefly  above  his  head.  In  his  left  hand  there  is  always  a  roll 
of  papers  confusedly  put  together,  just  as  if  he  had  caught 
them  floating  in  the  water,  when  he  was  in  the  act  of  drown- 
ing. In  his  more  pathetic  moments  he  looks  the  very  incarna- 
tion of  seriousness,  and  puts  himself  into  every  conceivable 
variety  of  attitude.  He  turns  his  face  from  one  part  of  the 
house  to  another,  as  if  his  body  sat  on  a  pivot,  and  were 
whirled  round,  not  by  a  mere  act  of  mental  volition,  but  by 
some  external  application  of  force.  A  better  specimen  of  the 
mock  heroic  you  could  not  wish  to  see  than  that  afforded  by 
the  gallant  Colonel  when  in  his  graver  moods.  He  is  wofully 
deficient  in  judgment;  if  there  be  a  right  and  a  wrong  side  of 
any  subject,  he  is  sure  to  adopt  the  wrong  one.  Indeed  there 
are  some  honourable  members  who  seek  no  better  proof  of  the 
right  side  of  a  question,  than  to  know  that  the  gallant  Colonel 
is  on  its  opposite.  He  has,  as  already  hinted,  little  intellect. 


MARQUIS  OF  CHANDOS.  79 

If  he  does  stumble  by  accident  on  a  tolerable  idea,  it  is  like  an 
oasis  in  a  desert  of  nonsense.  His  voice  has  a  sort  of  un- 
earthly shrillness  about  it  which  cannot  be  described  by  words. 
He  scarcely  ever  opens  his  mouth  without  exciting  the  laugh- 
ter of  the  House.  Honourable  members  generally  attempt  to 
put  him  down  when  they  expect  from  him  a  speech  of  any 
length,  but  seldom  with  effect.  On  such  occasions  he  stands 
quite  cool  and  collected,  looking  at  the  papers  in  his  hand 
until  the  vociferations  of  hon.  gentlemen  opposite,  as  he  al- 
ways calls  them,  begin  to  die  away  from  sheer  exhaustion  on 
the  part  of  the  performers.  In  his  serious  moods  he  is  a  bore 
to  his  own  party,  as  well  as  an  infliction  on  the  House  gene- 
rally. They  would  give  any  price  to  purchase  his  silence, 
but  it  is  not  to  be  purchased.  He  will  speak.  He  never 
makes  a  very  long  speech,  because  he  cannot ;  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  is  the  utmost  length  of  time  I  ever  knew  him  occupy  the 
Speaker's  attention  on  any  occasion  ;  but  then  the  mischief  is, 
he  speaks  on  every  subject,  and  when  the  rules  of  the  House 
allow  it, — in  other  words,  when  the  House  is  in  Committee, — 
it  is  no  unusual  thing  for  him  to  make  fifteen  or  twenty 
speeches  on  one  night. 

It  is  but  justice  to  the  gallant  Colonel  to  add,  that  he  is 
good-tempered.  He  seems  to  have  no  personal  resentments 
— no  vindictive  feelings  towards  any  honourable  member. 
His  hostility  is  towards  the  principle,  not  towards  the  person 
holding  it.  Hence,  he  does  not  offend  by  any  personalities, 
those  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  house.  I  am  sure  the  feel- 
ing in  the  house  generally  would  be  one  of  regret,  were  he  to 
share  the  fate  of  his  friend  and  prototype,  Sir  Charles  Wethe- 
rell — that  is,  be  excluded  from  it. 

The  Marquis  of  CHANDOS,  member  for  Buckinghamshire,  is 
a  noblemen  of  very  great  influence  among  the  agricultural 
members  in  the  House,  as  well  as  among  the  farmers  through- 
out the  country.  He  is  called,  by  way  of  eminence,  the  Far- 
mer's Friend.  He  is  worthy  of  the  title.  The  interests  of 
the  agriculturists  are  ever  uppermost  in  his  mind.  In  many 
instances  he  has  been  known  to  sacrifice  his  own  private  in- 
terests and  justifiable  ambition,  solely  from  a  regard  to  the  in- 
terests of  the  farmers  as  a  body.  It  is  well  known  to  honour- 
able members  of  all  parties,  though  not  generally  known  in 
the  country,  that  rather  than  accept  office  when  Sir  Robert 
Peel's  Administration  was  formed,  on  the  condition  of  throw- 
ing the  agriculturists  overboard  by  putting  off  the  motion 
which  he  had  engaged  to  bring  forward  for  a  repeal  of  the 


80  MARQtIS  OF  CHANDOS. 

Malt  Tax,  he  preferred  continuing'  a  private  member.  This 
was  a  facrifice  to  principle  which  few  men  of  any  party  in  the 
House  would,  under  the  circumstances,  have  made;  for  he 
could  have  had  no  difficulty  of  finding  <i  pretext,  from  the  state 
of  parties,  or  something  else,  for  postponing  it  from  time  to 
time  until  the  session  had  come  to  a  close.  He,  however, 
with  his  characteristic  integrity  and  straightforwardness  of 
conduct,  refused  to  accept  office  on  any  terms  of  which  his 
own  conscience  did  not  approve,  though  it  was  well  known 
he  would  otherwise  have  been  delighted  to  have  been  asso- 
ciated in  office  with  a  Conservative  Ministry.  He  is  chiefly 
known  in  the  house  and  the  country  by  his  speeches  in  favour 
of  the  agricultural  interest.  He  is  a  West-India  proprietor, 
and  before  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves  in  our  colonial  pos- 
sessions, took  a  distinguished  part  in  all  proceedings  in  the 
house  bearing  directly  on  the  West-India  question.  The 
colonists,  indeed,  committed  their  interests  in  the  house  to 
him.  He  was  their  acknowledged  representative,  and  dis- 
played uncommon  zeal,  bjended  with  considerable  talent,  in 
their  favour.  But  since  that  question  has  been  set  at  rest  he 
has  almost  exclusively  applied  himself  to  the  consideration  of 
the  best  means  of  relieving  the  farmers  from  their  burdens, 
and  affording  protection  to  the  agricultural  interest.  He 
seldom  speaks  on  any  other  subject,  but  never  misses  an  op- 
portunity of  speaking  on  that  when  the  question  before  the 
House  will  admit  of  it.  A  more  vigilant,  zealous,  or  faithful 
friend  the  farmers  could  not  have.  He  is,  as  I  have  already 
said,  a  nobleman  of  considerable  talent.  He  acquits  himself, 
when  addressing  the  house,  in  a  very  creditable  manner.  His 
voice  is  not  strong,  but  it  is  audible  and  pleasant.  He  speaks 
with  considerable  fluency,  and  is  always  clear  and  forcible  in 
his  reasoning.  No  one  can  mistake  his  positions,  or  fail  to 
perceive  the  arguments  by  which  he  endeavours  to  establish 
them.  There  is  nothing  ornamental  or  artificial  in  his  style 
or  manner.  In  fact,  he  has  no  ambition  to  shine  as  a  mere 
stringer  of  rounded  periods  together:  he  quite  forgets  himself 
— I  cannot  say  as  much  of  many  others,  both  of  the  Tory  and 
Liberal  party — in  the  intensity  of  the  interest  he  feels  in  his 
subject.  He  does  not  usually  speak  long;  but  there  is  always 
a  great  deal  of  matter  in  what  he  does  say. 

In  person,  the  Marquis  of  Chandos  is  a  little  above  the 
usual  stature.  He  is  a  handsome  gentlemanly-looking  man. 
His  feattjres  are  small  and  regular,  and  have  a  prepossessing 
appearance.  His  complexion  is  dark,  and  his  hair  black.  He 


MR.  F.  SHAW.  81 

has  a  fine  forehead,  and  an  intelligent  as  well  as  agreeable 
expression  of  countenance.  He  is  in  his  forty-first  year^and 
is  the  only  son  of  the  Duke  of  Buckingham. 

Of  the  Irish  Tory  members, — I  mean  those  who  are  distin- 
guished for  the  share  they  take  in  the  discussion  of  measures 
bearing  directly  on  the  well-being  of  Ireland, — Mr.  F.  SHAW, 
the  Recorder  of  Dublin,  ami  member  for  the  University  of  that 
city,  stands  not  only  foremost,  but  in  a  great  measure  alone. 
He  is  now  in  his  thirty-sixth  year.  He  has  hardly  realized 
the  expectations  which,  on  his  first  entrance  on  public  life, 
his  friends  formed  of  the  glory  of  his  future  career ;  still  he 
has  acquitted  himself  in  a  very  creditable  manner.  He  pos- 
sesses more  than  respectable  talents,  though  by  no  means 
talents  of  a  high  order.  He  invariably  speaks  on  those  occa- 
sions in  which  the  conduct  of  the  Orange  or  Protestant  party, 
is  made  the  subject  of  debate  in  the  house.  Of  that  party  he 
is,  indeed,  the  accredited  organ  and  advocate;  nor  could  they 
have  a  more  zealous  champion.  He  always  identifies  his  own 
opinions  and  interests  with  theirs.  He  is  a  voluble  speaker 
— cold  and  monotonous  on  ordinary  topics,  but  violent,  both  in 
matter  and  manner,  in  the  highest  degree,  when  the  Clergy, 
the  Church,  or  the  Orangemen  are  attacked.  Then  his 
energy  of  manner  verges  on  the  ludicrous.  One  can  hardly 
refrain  from  laughter  when  they  see  a  man  work  himself  into 
such  a  towering  passion.  Take  his  word  for  it,  and  the  very 
being,  not  of  religion  only,  but  of  the  Constitution  of  this 
country,  and  the  civilization  of  the  world,  are  indissolubly 
bound  up  with  the  Irish  Church  and  the  Irish  Clergy  in  their 
present  state.  Usually  he  is  listened  to  with  attention  by  the 
house ;  with  the  few  Irish  Tory  members  he  is  an  oracle ; 
but  judging  from  the  frequency  arid  cordiality  of  Colonel  Sib- 
thorpe's  cheers,  no  one  appreciates  his  oratory  more  highly 
than  the  gallant  member  for  Lincoln.  His  orations  are  much 
more  remarkable  for  their  party  zeal  than  for  their  eloquence. 
The  only  speech  I  ever  heard  him  make,  in  which  there  was 
anything  like  eloquence  or  superior  talent,  was  one  in  defence 
of  Baron  Smith,  in  the  Session  of  1834,  a  few  evenings  after 
the  house,  by  a  majority  of  four,  had  censured  the  learned 
Baron  for  indulging  in  political  party  tirades  when  charging 
a  jury  previous  to  the  trial  of  persons  indicted  for  criminal 
offences.  His  speech  was  of  an  hour's  duration.  It  com- 
menced at  half-past  twelve,  and  finished  at  half-past  one. 
The  house  was  full  at  the  time.  The  tide  of  feeling,  both 
within  and  without  doors,  had  turned  in  favour  of  the  learned 


82  SIR  RICHARD  VYVYAN. 

Biron,  and  Mr.  Shaw  had  consequently  a  willing  audience. 
Tlu-  lateness  of  the  hour  added  to  the  effect  of  his  speech,  for 
it  well  accorded  with  tin1  solemn  emphatic  strain  in  which  he 
dwelt  on  the  virtues,  the  advanced  am-,  and  tin;  long  course 
of  public  service  of  the  person  he  defended.  Air.  Slr.iw's  elo- 
cution was,  on  that  occ.  i.-ion.  unusually  distinct  and  correct, 
and  there  was  a  depth  and  fulness  of  tone  in  his  voice  which 
I  never  before  or  since  observed  in  any  of  his  oratorical  efforts. 
In  the  course  of  his  speech  he  violently  arraigned  the  charac- 
ter of  Mr.  O'Connell, through  whose  instrumentality  thellouse 
had  been  induced  to  censure  the  conduct  of  Baron  Smith;  and 
I  must  say,  that  his  castigation  of  the  honourable  member  for 
Dublin,  on  that  occasion,  was  decidedly  the  most  effective  I 
ever  saw  him  receive  in  the  house.  The  result  of  the  discus- 
sion was  that  the  House  rescinded  its  own  resolution  respect- 
ing the  learned  Baron. 

Mr.  Shaw  is,  in  person,  considerably  above  the  middle  size, 
lie  is  a  handsome  man,  though  there  is  something  of  a  femi- 
nine expression  in  his  countenance.  He  has  a  well-formed 
projecting  forehead.  His  eyes,  which  are  of  a  dark-blue  co- 
lour, with  large  dark  lashes,  are  full  of  fire  and  expression. 
His  complexion  is  dark,  and  his  hair  jet  black  and  bushy,  like 
that  of  a  negro.  When  he  feels  strongly  in  the  way  of  disap- 
probation of  anything  any  honourable  member  is  saying,  he 
throws  his  head  backward:-,  and  occasionally  looks  towards  the 
ceiling  with  an  air  of  supreme  disdain. 

Sir  RICHARD  VYVYAN,  the  member  for  Bristol,  was  a  great 
man  among  the  Tories  before  the  passing  of  the  Reform  Bill. 
Previous  to  that  time  he  was  hardly  ever  off  his  legs,  when 
either  the  interests  or  the  character  of  his  party  were  in- 
volved ;  but  since  then  he  has  hardly  ever  opened  his  mouth. 
The  only  speech,  worthy  the  name,  he  made  during  the  last 
session,  was  on  the  third  reading  of  the  Municipal  Corpora- 
tion Bill,  which  he  most  strenuously  opposed.  That  speech 
revived  the  drooping  spirits  of  the  Tories.  Sir  Robert  Peel's 
concession  of  the  principle  of  the  bill,  coupled  with,  his  doubt- 
ful conduct  on  various  questions  for  some  time  past,  had  well 
nigh  caused  them  to  resign  themselves  to  despair,  both  as  re- 
garded their  cause  and  their  very  existence  as  a  party ;  and 
as  matters  had  reached  a  crisis,  they  looked  around  for  a  new 
leader  who  "  would  go  the  whole  hog."  The  speech  of  Sir 
Richard  Vyvyan  was  of  a  character  which,  with  his  respect- 
able debating  talents,  could  not  fail  to  make  them  turn  their 
eyes  towards  him.  He  was  for  boldly  and  resolutely  contest- 


SIR  RICHARD  VYVYAN.  83 

ing  every  inch  with  the  enemy*  The  smallest  concession  to 
them  he  denounced  as  treason  to  Constitution.  Sir  Robert 
Peel  was  always  anxious  to  see  his  way  clearly ;  Sir  Richard 
was  prepared  to  rush  blindly  forward,  utterly  regardless  ofL 
consequences.  The  ultra  Tories  therefore,  had,  in  the  middle 
of  July,  come  to  the  determination  of  enlisting  themselves 
under  the  leadership  of  Sir  Richard,  and  renouncing  all  con- 
nexion with  Sir  Robert  when,  all  of  a  sudden,  a  new  light 
broke  in  on  the  latter  right  hon.  gentleman.  He  began  to 
"  guess,"  as  an  American  would  say,  that  the  Lords  would 
either  so  mangle  the  Municipal  Corporation  Reform  Bill,  as 
to  compel  the  Commons  to  reject  it,  or  that  the  Tithes  Bill, 
tacked  as  the  Appropriation  Bill  was  to  it,  would  be  rejected 
altogether ;  and  he  saw,  as  the  consequences,  the  resignation 
of  Lord  Melbourne's  Ministry,  the  return  of  the  Tories  to 
power,  and  dissolution  of  Parliament.  The  card,  therefore, 
which  he  had  now  to  play,  was  again  to  right  himself  with  his 
party,  and,  with  this  view,  he  once  more  affected  a  boundless 
zeal  for  .them  and  their  cause.  His  motion  for  the  division  of 
the  Tithes  and  Appropriation  Bills,  and  his  speech  on  that 
occasion,  of  nearly  four  hours'  duration,  had  the  intended 
effect.  Sir  Richard  was  shelved,  at  least  for  a  time,  and  Sir 
Robert  again  became  the  acknowledged  champion  of  the  Tory 
host. 

Sir  Richard  Vyvyan  is  a  man  of  middle  size.  He  is  slen- 
derly and  delicately  made.  His  countenance  has  something 
of  a  pensive  cast  about  it,  and  his  complexion  is  rather  sallow. 
He  is  only  in  his  thirty-fourth  year.  He  is  a  good  speaker. 
His  periods  are  rounded,  and  his  voice  and  manner  pleasant. 
He  speaks  with  much  fluency,  and,  occasionally,  with  consi- 
derable effect ;  but  I  doubt  if  he  have  the  energy  of  character 
and  versatility  of  talent  necessary  to  constitute  an  efficient 
leader  of  his  party. 


84  LORD  STANLEY. 

CHAPTER  VIIL 

THE  NEUTRAL    PARTY. 

Lord  Stanley — Sir  James  Graham — Mr.  F.  G.  Young — Mr.  Robin- 
son— Mr.  Walter. 

AT  the  beginning  of  the  last  session  the  Neutral  Party,  or 
the  "  Section,"  as  Mr.  O'Connell  facetiously  termed  it,  in 
consequence  of  Lord  Stanley  having  one  evening  spoken  of 
the  place  whence  he  addressed  the  House,  as  a  section  of  the 
House, — was  one  of  considerable  importance  both  as  to  talent 
and  numbers.  It  was  difficult  to  estimate  its  numbers  with 
any  degree  of  accuracy  at  the  time,  because  some  who  be- 
longed to  it  pretended  to  be  the  supporters  of  the  Whigs;  and 
others  identified  themselves  with  it  only  until  they  should  see 
whether  the  Tory  or  Liberal  interest  would  triumph  in  the 
House.  By  some  it  was  supposed  that,  during  the  first  four 
weeks  of  the  session,  the  Neutral  party  numbered  from  thirty 
to  forty  adherents.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  number  soon  began 
to  dwindle  down  to  a  mere  handful,  and  before  the  end  of 
July,  though  some  hon.  members  still  claimed  the  credit  of 
strict  neutrality  between  Whigs  and  Tories,  the  party  was 
virtually  extinct.  The  great  body  of  them  went  openly  over 
to  the  Tories,  not  by  their  speeches  and  votes  only,  but  even 
as  regarded  their  seats  in  the  house.  At  first,  and  for  three 
or  four  months,  the  majority  of  the  Neutrals  sat  at  the  farthest 
end  of  the  Ministerial  side  of  the  house — that  part  better 
known  in  the  old  house  as  the  cross  or  neutral  benches ;  but 
eventually  they  went  over  to  the  Tory  or  Opposition  side, 
and,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  took  their  seats  amongst  the 
most  ultra  of  the  Tory  members.  Still,  two  or  three  of  them, 
on  particular  occasions,  have  since  then  voted  with  Govern- 
ment, and  in  opposition  to  their  own  party. 

The  leading  members  of  the  Neutral  party  are  Lord  Stan- 
ley, Sir  James  Graham,  Mr.  F.  G.  Young,  Mr.  Robinson,  and 
Mr.  Walter. 

Lord  STANLEY,  eldest  son  of  the  Earl  of  Derby,  is  a  young 
man.  He  is  only  in  his  thirty-fifth  year.  In  person  he  is 
rather  above  the  middle  size;  his  complexion  is  fair,  and  his 
hair  red.  There  is  something  peculiar  in  the  conformation  of 


LORD  STANLEY.  85 

his  face.  His  eyes  are  small  and  have  a  Wintering  appear- 
ance, but  are  full  of  expression.  I  forget  which  of  the  ancient 
philosophers  it  was  who  said  that  the  eyes  are  the  windows  of 
the  soul :  the  remark  holds  pre-eminently  true  in  the  case  of 
Lord  Stanley.  His  eyes  indicate  much  of  that  mental  acute- 
ness  and  hot  and  hasty  temperament  which  are  so  charac- 
teristic of  the  man.  When  rising  to  reply  to  some  personal 
attack,  I  have  often  seen  them  flashing  with  such  visible  in- 
dignation, and  so  indicative  of  the  tumultuous  passions  which 
agitated  his  bosom,  that  the  dullest  physiognomist  could  not 
have  mistaken  the  nature  of  the  speech  about  to  be  delivered. 
His  face  is  round  but  small,  and  full  of  primness.  There  is 
nothing  particularly  intellectual  in  its  general  expression. 
He  seems  always  out  of  temper,  and  his  countenance  does  not 
in  this  respect  do  him  injustice.  The  least  thing  excites  and 
irritates  him.  I  do  not  recollect  that  he  ever  made  a  single 
speech  of  any  length,  and  on  any  subject  of  importance,  with- 
out betraying  more  or  less  of  that  ill-temper  by  which  he  is 
characterized.  He  cannot  separate  the  person  from  his  prin- 
ciples or  arguments.  In  attacking  the  latter,  he  invariably 
attacks  the  former  also.  He  possesses,  however,  this  redeem- 
ing quality,  that  the  moment  he  has  resumed  his  seat  he 
ceases  to  entertain  any  unfriendly  feeling  towards  the  person 
of  whom  he  may  have  spoken  so  harshly.  He  is  not  vindic- 
tive; he  does  not  cherish  rooted  resentments,  excepting  in 
cases  of  peculiar  provocation.  On  the  contrary,  when  the  ex- 
citement of  the  moment  is  over,  he  is  fully  sensible  of,  and 
deeply  regrets  his  infirmity  of  temper.  It  is  well  understood 
among  the  members  of  the  House  of  Commons,  that  for  weeks 
and  months  after  his  celebrated  speech  on  his  secession  from 
the  Grey  Administration,  when  he  accused  the  Government 
of  which  he  had  been  four  years  a  member,  of  thimble-rig,  or 
legerdemain  practices, — he  most  deeply  regretted  the  indis- 
cretion, and  the  wretched  taste  and  still  more  reprehensible 
feeling  which  the  language  he  then  made  use  of  evinced ;  and 
it  is  equally  well-known,  that,  soon  after,  he  wrote  a  letter  to 
Earl  Grey,  expressive  of  his  hearty  concern  that  he  should 
have  given  utterance  to  such  language,  and  begging  the  noble 
£arl  to  accept  his  most  sincere  apology  for  it.  As  no  man  is 
more  severe  or  pointed  in  his  allusions  to  others,  so  no  man 
smarts  more  sensibly,  or  is  more  impatient,  under  the  castiga- 
gation  of  an  opponent.  And  when  thus  agonizing  under  the 
sarcasms  or  ridicule  of  an  adversary,  his  usual  practice  is  to  sit 
with  his  head  almost  buried  between  his  knees,  under  the  pre- 
8 


86  LORD  STANLEY. 

text  of  reading  some  Parliamentary  Papers.  At  intervals, 
when  touched  on  some  peculiarly  sensitive  part,  he  rises  and 
interrupts  the  inemher  who  is  speaking,  even  when  strictly  in 
order  and  using  the  most  temperate  language.  This  habit 
has  grown  much  on  him  of  late.  Formerly  it  was  confined  to 
allusions  to  himself  or  to  his  arguments;  now  it  is  extended 
to  anything  contrary  to  his  opinions,  even  though  he  has  taken 
no  part  in  the  debate,  if  he  chances  to  be  in  an  unsually 
irascible  mood  at  the  time  of  these  improper  interruptions. 
He  was  often  on  this  accounnt  called  to  order  in  the  course  of 
last  session. 

Lord  Stanley  is  a  most  dexterous  debater.  He  is  remark- 
ably quick  in  detecting  the  weak  points  of  an  adversary,  and 
equally  happy  and  effective  in  exposing  them.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  fluent  speakers  in  the  house  ;  always  correct,  often 
eloquent  in  his  language.  His  great  defect  as  a  debater,  is  a 
frequent  repetition  of  the  same  thing.  I  have  known  him  in 
the  course  of  eight  or  ten  minutes,  repeat  the  same  argument 
three  or  four  times.  If  he  does  not  reach  the  highest  flights 
of  genius;  if  there  be  nothing  in  his  ideas  which  startle  you 
by  their  originality  or  brilliancy,  or  which,  whether  right  or 
wrong,  carries  you  away  captive  wherever  he  chooses  to  lead 
you,  so,  on  the  other  hand,  he  never  descends  to  common- 
places. You  are  always  pleased  with  him :  you  cannot  but 
admire  his  acuteness,  and  though  not  perhaps  convinced  that 
he  is  on  the  right  side  of  the  question,  yet  you  cannot  satis- 
factorily and  immediately  answer  him.  His  forte  lies  in 
reply.  He  does  not  appear  to  advantage  in  making  a  set  and 
carefully  prepared  speech ;  in  that  case,  he  is  deficient  in  his 
usual  animation  and  energy  of  manner.  He  acquits  himself 
best  when  he  rises  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  and  under 
strong  feelings  of  excitement ;  for  it  singularly  enough  hap- 
pens, that  the  more  he  is  excited,  the  acuter  and  happier  does 
he  become  in  his  replies.  His  voice  is  clear  and  sweet:  it  has 
something  of  a  tenor  tone.  His  enunciation  is  correct  and 
pleasing,  though  unusually  rapid.  He  never  hesitates,  and 
very  seldom  recals  a  word  to  replace  it  by  a  better.  His  ideas 
flow  on  him  much  faster  than  he  can  give  them  utterance. 
He  does  not  use  much  gesticulation.  He  has  generally  a 
roll  of  paper  in  his  right  hand,  with  which,  at  short  intervals, 
after  raising  it  as  high  as  his  head,  he  pats  the  palm  of  his 
left. 

I  never  knew  a  man  who  fell  in  the  estimation  of  the  House 
so  rapidly  as  Lord  Stanley  has  lately  done.  When  a  member 


SIR  JAMES  GRAHAM.  87 

of  Earl  Grey's  Ministry,  he  commanded  the  respect  and 
homage  of  all  parties.  His  influence  and  popularity,  even 
with  those  who  differed  from  him  in  political  opinion,  were 
very  great.  Though  he  spoke  much  more  frequently  than 
any  other  member,  with  the  single  exception,  perhaps,  of 
Lord  Al thorp  and  Mr.  Hume,  the  house  never  showed  the 
least  indisposition  to  hear  him ;  on  the  contrary,  all  was 
anxiety  and  attention  whenever  he  rose.  The  same  feeling 
was  entertained  to  him  for  some  time  after  his  secession  from 
Lord  Grey's  Government,  because  he  got  credit  for  being 
actuated  by  conscientious  scruples  in  taking  that  step.  The 
first  thing  that  damaged  him  was  the  "  thimble-rig"  speech, 
as  it  has  since  been  called,  to  which  I  have  already  alluded. 
Since  then  he  has  been  gradually  losing  his  importance,  and 
is  now  comparatively  nothing.  How  different  the  Lord  Stan- 
ley of  1835,  from  the  Mr.  Stanley  of  1833!  "Oh,  how 
fallen!" 

Sir  JAMES  GRAHAM  is  in  much  the  same  position  as  Lord 
Stanley.  He  seceded  from  Lord  Grey's  Government  at  the 
same  time,  and  from  the  same  cause,  and  has  adopted  the 
same  line  of  conduct  ever  since,  as  Lord  Stanley.  They  not 
only  share  in  each  other's  sentiments  on  political  questions, 
and  have  of  late  pursued  the  same  line  of  conduct,  but  they 
are  bosom  friends.  They  are  always  to  be  seen  together 
when  in  the  house — generally  speak  on  the  same  questions — 
ancl,  however,  many  nights  the  debate  may  chance  to  be  ad- 
journed, they  also,  in  most  cases,  speak  on  the  same  night. 
They  are  brothers  in  adversity  ;  and  seem  resolved  to  stick 
close  to  each  other  in  their  reverses.  Sir  James  Graham  is 
one  of  the  stoutest  men  in  the  house.  Washington  Irving 
might  have  applied  to  him,  with  great  propriety,  the  epithet 
of  "  stout  gentleman."  I  should  think  he  must  weigh  a  full 
half  stone  more  than  any  other  member  in  the  house.  He  is 
well-made ;  has  a  fine  full  round  face,  and  appears  in  excel- 
lent health.  His  complexion  is  ruddy,  and  his  hair  dark.  His 
apostacy  from  his  former  principles  is  more  marked  than  even 
that  of  Lord  Stanley,  inasmuch  as  he  was  much  more  liberal 
• — radical  would  be  a  better  word — than  that  noble  Lord. 
Some  of  the  speeches  he  delivered  in  August  1830,  imme- 
diately after  the  French  revolution,  were  the  most  violent 
that  ever  escaped  the  lips  of  an  Englishman.  Dr.  Wade's 
Radicalism,  compared  with  them,  was  moderation  itself.  And 
even  so  late  as  1832,  on  the  struggle  immediately  preceding 
the  passing  of  the  Reform  Bill,  the  Cumberland  Baronet  was 


88  Mn.  F.  O.  YOVNG. 

so  furious  and  extreme  in  his  Liberalism  as  to  be  the  god  of 
the  idolatry  of  the  Radicals.  All  at  once,  however,  he  went 
over  to  the  Tory  party,  whom  lie  now  supports  with  as  much 
ardour  as  he  formerly  displayed  on  the  other  .side.  He  is  a 
man  of  superior,  though  certainly  not  of  first-rate  talent.  He 
is  generally  elear  in  his  reasonings,  and  can  make  out  a  plau- 
sible case.  His  style  is  plain  and  perspicuous,  with  very  little 
ornament.  His  manner  of  delivery  is  rapid  and  easy.  His 
voice  has  something  of  a  hard  sound,  and  yet.  is  by  no  means 
unpleasant.  It  is  equable  in  its  tones ;  there  is  hardly  ever 
the  slightest  variation  in  it,  whatever  be  the  subject.  His 
enunciation  is  distinct,  and  his  action  unpretending.  Indeed, 
he  has  very  little  gesticulation  of  any  kind.  He  is  always  on 
remarkably  good  terms  with  himself,  and  hardly  concealed 
from  his  friends  that  he  entertained  the  conviction,  that  his 
secession  from  the  Grey  Ministry  would  be  the  sealing  of  its 
doom.  He  probably  fancied  that  his  Atlasian  shoulders  bore 
the  heavy  load,  and  that  the  moment  he  withdrew  from  it, 
down  it  would  come  in  a  mass  of  ruins.  His  present  position 
is  a  most  unpleasant  one  to  himself.  He  is  mortified  beyond 
measure  at  his  exclusion  from  office ;  not  that  he  would  accept 
a  seat  in  the  Cabinet  of  Lord  Melbourne,  with  its  Church 
Property  Appropriation  principles  ;  but  it  is  to  him  incompre- 
hensible, and  galling  in  the  highest  degree,  that  the  Mel- 
bourne Administration  should  not,  by  the  power  of  his  elo- 
quence, have  been  long  since  scattered  to  the  winds  of  heaven, 
"  leaving  not  a  wreck  behind,"  and  a  new  one  formed  under 
his  and  Lord  Stanley's  auspices.  Sir  James  is  in  his  forty- 
third  year. 

Mr.  F.  G.  YOUNG,  the  member  for  Tynemouth,  though  not 
ostensibly  identifying  himself  with  the  Stanley  party,  co-ope- 
rated with  them  during  the  greater  part  of  the  last  session. 
No  man  prides  himself  more  on  his  independence,  nor  does 
any  member  so  frequently  boast  of  his  being  "  an  independent 
man."  It  must  be  admitted  there  is  much  truth  in  the  boast; 
for  he  is  to  be  seen  by  turns  voting  on  every  side  of  the  House; 
sometimes  with  Lord  Melbourne's  Government,  on  what  are 
called  party  questions,  though  perhaps  oflener  against  them. 
In  the  first  part  of  last  session,  and  until  near  its  close,  he 
joined  the  "  Section"  in  supporting  Peel's  Ministry  on  the 
Church  Property  Appropriation  question  ;  but  having  had  oc- 
casion to  visit  Ireland  for  two  or  three  weeks  in  June,  and 
being  convinced,  from  what  fell  under  his  own  observation 
when  there,  that  the  existing  distribution  of  Church  Property 


MR.  ROBINSON.  89 

in  Ireland  was  a  fruitful  source  of  her  evils  and  misery,  he 
manfully  retracted  his  former  opinions,  and  openly  and  cordi- 
ally supported  Lord  Melbourne's  Government  in  their  Irish 
Church  and  Tithes  Bills. 

Mr.  Young-  is  a  good-looking  man.  His  face  is  full  of  in- 
telligence, and  his  speeches  show  that  he  is  well-informed. 
In  person  he  is  above  the  middle  size.  He  is  about  forty  years 
of  age;  his  hair  is  dark,  and  his  complexion  fair.  He  speaks 
often ;  but  his  ablest  displays  are  on  subjects  connected  with 
Free  Trade  and  the  Shipping  interests.  He  is  a  decided  ad- 
vocate for  commercial  restrictions  in  our  intercourse  with 
foreign  countries.  His  statistical  details  are  given  with  re- 
markable clearness,  even  in  cases  of  a  very  complicated  na- 
ture, and  his  reasonings  are  close,  though  sometimes  his  ideas 
are  overloaded  with  verbiage.  He  is  one  of  the  most  rapid 
speakers  I  ever  heard,  and  yet  his  language  is  correct,  though 
not,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term,  eloquent.  He  speaks  with 
much  ease,  and  notwithstanding  the  amazing  rapidity  of  his 
utterance,  scarcely  ever  has  to  recall  a  word  to  replace  it  by 
a  better.  No  reporter  can  follow  him ;  he  speaks  so  very 
rapidly,  as  sometimes  to  pronounce  four  or  five  words  as  if  all 
one  word.  In  the  session  of  1834,  I  recollect  hearing  him, 
when  addressing  the  House  on  a  motion  he  had  brought  for- 
ward relative  to  the  shipping  interests,  pronounce  the  words 
"  Prussia,  Denmark,  Sweden,  Russia,"  as  if  one  word,  and 
certainly  in  as  short  a  time  as  an  ordinary  speaker  would  take 
to  pronounce  one  of  them.  His  voice  is  clear  and  distinct.  It 
has  a  tenor  tone,  and  is  remarkable  for  its  equability.  He  has 
no  command  over  it ;  whatever  be  the  subject,  he  speaks  in 
the  same  key.  He  is  a  pleasant  speaker,  and  is  listened  to 
with  attention  by  the  House.  He  is  a  man  of  respectable 
talents,  and  is  an  expert  debater ;  but  he  has  no  large  or  com- 
prehensive views  of  any  great  question ;  nor  does  he  ever  give 
utterance  to  any  striking  or  original  ideas.  He  sits  with  the 
Tories  on  the  Opposition  side  of  the  House. 

Mr.  ROBINSON,  the  member  for  Worcester,  is  chiefly  known 
by  his  peculiar  notions  and  speeches  on  the  question  of  a  Pro- 
perty Tax.  He  makes  an  annual  motion  for  a  Select  Com- 
mittee to  inquire  into  the  expediency  and  propriety  of  substi- 
tuting a  Property  Tax  in  the  place  of  our  present  system  of 
taxation.  On  this  question  he  is  quite  at  home,  and  goes 
through  intricate  details  connected  with  it  with  great  ease 
and  facility.  He  also  takes  part  on  subjects  bearing  on  the 
question  of  Free  Trade ;  but  does  not  often  speak  on  the  more 
8* 


90  MR.  WALTER. 

general  topics  winch  come  before  the  House.  In  person  he  is 
about  the  middle  size.  His  hair  is  dark,  and  his  complexion 
somewhat  sallow,  lie  is  of  a  full  round  face,  having  a  ten- 
dency to  corpulency.  He  has  been  a  long  time  in  Parliament. 
His  age  is  about  forty-five.  He  is  not  an  attractive  speaker; 
his  matter  is  heavy,  and  his  manner  wants  animation.  He 
docs  not  command  much  attention  in  the  house.  When  he 
brings  forward  the  question  of  a  Property  Tax,  he  has  gene- 
rally to  address  himself  to  empty  benches.  His  audience  if 
"  fit,"  are  "  few :"  they  seldom  exceed  fifty  or  sixty.  When 
lie  brought  forward  his  annual  motion  last  session,  there  were 
not  more  than  forty  or  fifty  members  present.  His  speeches 
on  these  occasions  usually  occupy  from  two  to  three  hours  in 
the  delivery.  He  is  one  of  the  many  orators  in  the  house 
whose  ears  are  never  regaled  with  the  sweet  music  of  a  cheer. 
Since  the  re-accession  of  Lord  Melbourne  to  power,  Mr.  Ro- 
binson has  sat  on  the  Opposition  side  of  the  house  amidst  his 
Tory  friends. 

Mr.  WALTER,  member  for  Berkshire,  is  hardly  entitled  to 
notice  on  account  of  his  parliamentary  status ;  but  his  length- 
ened connexion  with  the  Times  newspapers,  and  the  influence 
he  was  known  to  exercise  over  the  line  of  politics  that  journal 
pursued,  taken  in  conjunction  with  the  circumstance  of  his 
having  altered  his  line  of  conduct  in  Parliament,  at  the  same 
time  as  it  changed  its  politics, — has  brought  his  name  some- 
what prominently  before  the  public  of  late.  He  is  considera- 
bly advanced  in  life,  being  now  in  his  sixty-first  year.  He  is 
a  man  of  venerable  appearance,  and  is  about  the  middle  size. 
Considering  his  age,  he  looks  well ;  his  hair  is  white,  and  his 
complexion  fair.  He  speaks  very  seldom,  and  when  he  does 
so  it  is  only  for  a  few  minutes  at  a  time.  His  voice  has  some- 
thing of  a  hard  and  husky  tone  ;  he  makes  no  attempt  at  fine 
speaking.  His  style  is  plain  and  clear,  and  his  manner  unas- 
suming. He  scarcely  uses  any  gesture.  His  matter  has  gene- 
rally the  merit  of  being  impregnated  with  much  good  sense, 
but  there  is  nothing  striking  or  original  about  it.  He  is  a  man 
of  excellent  private  character,  and  is  much  respected  by  all 
who  know  him.  In  his  capacity  of  a  country  magistrate,  he 
lias  done  infinite  good  for  the  poor.  He  was  the  last  of  the 
Neutral  party  who  forsook  the  Ministerial  side  of  the  house 
after  the  accession  of  the  present  Government.  It  was  this 
circumstance  that  led  Mr.  O'Connell,  on  the  second  reading  of 
the  Irish  Church  Bill,  to  make  his  singularly  happy  quotation 
of  part  of  a  popular  song  as  applicable  to  Mr.  Walter,  which 


MR.  WALTER.  91 

made  BO  much  noise  at  the  time.  Mr.  O'Connell,  looking  on 
the  Ministerial  side  for  Mr.  Walter,  but  not  seeing  him  there, 
was  about  to  express  his  regret  that  he  was  not  in  the  house, 
when,  on  casting  his  eye  on  the  Opposition  side,  he  observed 
him  sitting  in  the  midst  of  his  "  Neutral"  friends ;  on  which 
he  exclaimed  in  his  own  inimitable  style,  "  Oh,  the  honourable 
member  has  also  gone  over  !  While  sitting  by  himself  on  this 
(the  Ministerial)  side  of  the  house,  he  was  '  like  the  last  rose 
of  Summer' — (Shouts  of  Laughter.) 

"Like  the  last  rose  of  summer  left  blooming  alone, 
All  its  lovely  companions  being  faded  and  gone." 

It  is  impossible  to  convey  any  idea  of  the  effect  which  this 
produced.  Mr.  Walter's  personal  friends  could  not  refrain 
from  joining  in  the  loud  peals  of  laughter  which  burst  from  all 
parts  of  the  house,  and  even  he  himself  enjoyed  the  harmless 
but  happy  raillery.  After  that  morning,  for  the  circumstance 
occurred  at  three  o'clock,  he  resumed  his  seat,  till  the  end  of 
the  Session,  on  the  Ministerial  side :  whether  this  was  the 
effect  of  Mr.  O'Connell's  felicitous  allusion,  or  whether  Mr. 
Walter  had  only  that  evening  gone  over  to  the  Tory  side  of 
the  house  by  accident,  I  cannot  say. 


92  MR.   Ill  .NT. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  LIBERAL  PARTY. LATE  MEMBERS. 

Mr.  Henry  Hunt — Mr.  Thomas  Macaulay — Lord  Althorp — Mr. 
Charles  Grant — Mr.  Robert  Grant — Mr.  Jeffrey — Colonel  Tor- 
rcns — Mr.  Cobbett. 

I  BEGIN  with  Mr.  lit  NT,  because  he  was  the  first  of  those  I 
am  about  to  name  that  ceased  to  be  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Commons.  His  parliamentary  career  was  short:  it  only  ex- 
tended to  two  sessions.  It  commenced  at  a  time  it  might 
naturally  have  been  least  expected,  and  closed  when  it  might 
rather  have  been  expected  to  begin.  He  was  chosen  by  the 
electors  of  Preston  before  Parliament  was  reformed :  when 
reform  was  carried  into  effect,  he  was  not  re-elected  by  them, 
nor  chosen  by  any  other  constituency.  He  was  altogether  a 
singular  man.  It  is  no  easy  matter  to  give  a  satisfactory  esti- 
mate of  his  character.  He  had  something  of  the  caprice  of 
Mr.  Cobbett,  and  a  good  deal  of  his  irritable  temper;  but  in 
intellect  or  information  he  could  not  be  for  a  moment  compared 
with  the  member  for  Oldham.  Mr.  Hunt  was  not  a  man  of 
much  mind.  He  was  unfitted  for  grappling  with  any  great 
question.  He  never  took  an  original  view  of  any  subject;  and 
was  altogether  incapable  of  close  and  ingenious  reasoning. 
He  held  certain  principles  of  the  most  liberal  kind,  and  had  at 
his  fingers'  ends  most  of  the  principal  arguments  which  other 
persons  had  urged  in  their  favour.  When  these  were  ex- 
hn  nsted,  so  were  his  means  of  vindicating  his  principles.  His 
style  was  not  good ;  it  was  rough  and  disjointed.  What  he 
excelled  in  was  ready  wit:  he  had  few  equals  in  this  respect. 
All  parties  in  the  house,  not  even  excepting  the  most  ultra- 
radicals  themselves,  laboured  hard  to  cough  him  down  when- 
ever he  attempted  to  speak.  It  was  on  these  occasions  that 
he  generally  gave  the  most  striking  proofs  of  his  wit.  Nothing 
could  disconcert  him:  the  greater  the  uproar  his  rising  to 
speak  caused  in  the  house,  the  more  did  he  enjoy  it.  That 
was  to  him  a  luxury  of  the  most  exquisite  kind.  The  fact 
was,  lie  had  been  formed  for  scenes  of  confusion,  and  had  all 
his  life  long  been  accustomed  to  them  at  the  meetings  of  his 


MR.  MACAULAY.  93 

Radical  disciples;  hence  they  came  to  him  quite  naturally. 
In  many  of  his  repartees  there  was  great  point.  One  honour- 
able member,  on  one  occasion  when  Mr.  Hunt  was  speaking1, 
was  unusually  persevering  in  his  efforts  to  cough  him  down. 
Mr.  Hunt  cured  the  honourable  gentleman  of  his  cough  by  one 
short  sentence,  which,  delivered  as  it  was  with  infinite  dra- 
matic effect,  created  universal  laughter.  Mr.  Hunt  put  his 
hand  into  his  pantaloons  pocket,  and  after  fumbling  about  for  a 
few  seconds,  said  with  the  utmost  imaginable  coolness,  that  he 
was  extremely  sorry  to  find  that  he  had  not  a  few  lozenges  in 
his  pocket  for  the  benefit  of  the  honourable  member,  who 
seemed  to  be  so  distressed  with  the  cough,  but  he  could  assure 
him  he  would  provide  some  for  him  by  next  night.  Never 
did  doctor  prescribe  more  effectually :  not  only  did  Mr.  Hunt's 
tormentor  from  that  moment  get  rid  of  his  cough,  but  it  never 
returned,  at  least  while  Mr.  Hunt  was  speaking. 

His  manner  was  as  bad  as  his  diction.  It  had  no  graceful- 
ness in  it.  His  gesture  was  awkward,  and  his  voice  was 
harsh  and  croaking.  The  bad  effect  produced  by  the  latter 
was  aggravated  by  a  strongly-marked  provincial  accent. 

In  bodily  stature  he  was  tall  and  corpulent.  His  person 
was  clumsily  formed ;  at  any  rate,  it  appeared  so ;  but  this 
may  have  been  partly  owing  to  a  carelessness  in  his  dress. 
His  face,  like  his  body,  was  fat  and  large.  He  had  a  double 
chin.  His  complexion  was  fair,  with  a  fresh,  healthy  glow 
about  it.  He  had  light  hair,  and,  though  sixty  years  of  age, 
at  the  time  of  which  I  am  speaking,  had  not  the  slightest 
baldness.  He  died  in  two  or  three  years  after  he  ceased  to 
be  a  member.  As  he  was  regular  in  his  attendance  on  his 
legislative  duties,  I  have  no  doubt,  that  at  his  time  of  life,  his 
corpulency  of  frame,  and  the  active  nature  of  his  previous 
habits,  that  circumstance  hastened  his  days. 

Mr.  THOMAS  MACAULAY,  late  member  for  Leeds,  and  now 
a  Member  of  Council  in  India,  could  boast  of  a  brilliant,  if 
not  very  long  Parliamentary  career.  He  was  one  of  those 
men  who  at  once  raised  himself  to  the  first  rank  in  the 
Senate.  His  maiden  speech  electrified  the  House,  and  called 
forth  the  highest  compliments  to  the  speaker  from  men  of  all 
parties.  He  was  careful  to  preserve  the  laurels  he  had  thus 
so  easily  and  suddenly  won.  He  was  a  man  of  shrewd  mind, 
and  knew  that  if  he  spoke  often,  the  probability  was,  he 
would  not  speak  so  well;  and  that  consequently  there  could 
be  no  more  likely  means  of  lowering  him  from  the  elevated 
station  to  which  he  had  raised  himself,  than  frequently  ad- 


01  LORD  ALTHORP. 

Crossing  the  House.  In  this  lie  was  quite  right,  for  he  had 
no  talents  li>r  extempore  speaking.  I  have  seen  him  attempt 
it — only,  however,  when  forced  to  it  by  tlie  situation  tie  held 
under  Government — on  several  occasions;  but  in  every  such 
instance,  lie  acquitted  himself  very  indifferently,  lie  never 
made  above  three  or  four  speeches  in  the  course  of  a  Session 
— sometimes  not  so  many, — and  these  were  always  on  ques- 
tions involving  some  great  principle  of  politics  or  justice,  and 
which  commanded  deep  and  universal  attention  at  the  time. 
His  speeches  were  always  most  carefully  studied,  and  com- 
mitted to  memory,  exactly  as  he  delivered  them,  beforehand. 
He  bestowed  a  world  of  labour  on  their  preparation ;  and, 
certainly,  never  was  labour  bestowed  Lo  more  purpose.  In 
every  sentence  you  saw  the  man  of  genius — the  profound 
scholar — the  deep  thinker — the  close  and  powerful  reasoner. 
You  scarcely  knew  which  most  to  admire — the  beauty  of  his 
ideas,  or  of  the  language  in  which  they  were  clothed.  His 
diction  was  faultless ;  his  matter  was  strongly  embued  with 
the  spirit  of  what,  for  want  of  a  better  expression,  I  would 
call  the  poetry  of  philosophy.  He  was,  in  this  respect,  the 
same  man  in  the  house  as  he  was  when  penning  such  articles 
for  the  Edinburgh  Review,  as  his  celebrated  one  on  the 
genius  and  writings  of  Milton.  He  was  an  excellent  speaker 
withal — not  forcible  or  vehement,  carrying  you  away,  as  it 
were,  by  force;  but  seducing  you,  taking  you  a  willing  cap- 
tive, if  I  may  so  speak,  by  his  dulcet  tones  and  engaging 
manner,  wherever  tie  chose  to  go.  Time  after  time  has  the 
House  listened  to  him  as  if  entranced. 

His  personal  appearance  is  prepossessing.  In  stature  he  is 
about  the  middle  size,  and  well  formed.  His  eyes  are  of  a 
deep  blue,  and  have  a  very  intelligent  expression.  His  com- 
plexion is  dark,  and  his  hair  of  a  beautiful  jet  black.  His 
face  is  rather  inclined  to  the  oval  form.  His  features  are 
small  and  regular.  He  is  now  in  the  thirty-eighth  year  of 
his  age. 

Lord  ALTHORP,  now  Earl  SPENCER,  was  the  leader  of  the 
House  of  Commons  during  the  whole  period  of  the  existence 
of  Earl  Grey's  Ministry,  and  also  during  the  short  duration  of 
the  first  Administration  of  Lord  Melbourne.  He  was  one  of 
the  worst  speakers  in  the  House,  and  it  was  the  subject  of 
general  wonder,  notwithstanding  his  excellent  private  charac- 
ter, and  the  influence  and  respectability  of  his  family  con- 
nexions, that  he  should  ever  have  been  put  forward  as  the 
leader  of  the  Ministerial  party.  It  was  a  truly  melancholy 


LORD  ALTIIORP.  95 

spectacle  to  see  him  vindicating  Government,  when,  in  the 
progress  of  the  Irish  Coercion  Bill  of  1833  through  the  House, 
that  Government  was  assailed  by  Messrs.  O'Connell,  Shiel, 
and  other  members  of  the  Radical  party.  He  was  a  mere 
plaything  in  their  hands.  He  could  not  put  three  or  four 
sentences  together  without  stammering,  and  recalling  his 
words  over  and  over  again,  and  even  when  he  had  given  his 
sentences  the  last  touch,  there  was  as  much  room  for  improve- 
ment as  ever.  He  was  not  a  man  of  very  great  mental  capa- 
city. His  information  was  not  extensive;  nor  was  he  capable 
of  turning  to  good  account  the  little  stock  he  possessed.  He 
had  a  tolerably  sound  judgment,  which  made  him  generally 
take  the  common-sense  view  of  a  subject;  and  I  have  some- 
times been  struck  with  the  cleverness  of  some  of  his  replies 
to  an  opponent ;  but  then  the  effect  was  sure  to  be  marred  by 
the  way  in  which  lie  stammered  out  the  reply.  He  never 
gave  birth  to  an  original  idea  in  his  life  ;  nor  did  lie  ever 
utter  an  eloquent  expression.  Still,  with  all  his  faults  as  a 
speaker,  he  was  much  esteemed  by  men  of  all  parties  in  the 
house.  He  was  so  excessively  good-natured,  so  simple  and 
inoffensive  in  his  manner,  that  it  was  impossible  for  any  one, 
however  much  he  might  differ  from  him  in  sentiment,  not  to 
respect  him.  Nothing  could  make  him  lose  his  temper.  In 
the  most  violent  altercations,  and  greatest  scenes  of  uproar 
and  confusion  that  took  place  in  the  house,  there  he  stood, 
motionless  as  a  statue, — his  face  shadowing  forth  the  most 
perfect  placidness  of  mind.  His  articulation  was  slow,  and 
he  always  spoke  in  so  low  a  tone,  that  it  was  often  impossible 
to  hear  him  at  any  distance.  Never  did  the  reporters  repre- 
sent any  member  as  being  "  very  imperfectly  heard  in  the 
gallery,"  with  greater  truth  than  they  did  him.  No  class  of 
persons  could  have  greater  reason  to  rejoice  at  his  elevation  to 
the  Peerage  than  they  had.  It  was  often  matter  of  surprise 
how  they  were  able  to  give  reports  of  his  speeches  at  all. 
That  they  were  able  to  do  it  so  correctly,  showed  their  quick- 
ness of  perception  and  their  general  intelligence.  In  per- 
sonal appearance  Lord  Althorp  is  short  and  corpulent.  His 
frame  is  remarkably  compact,  and  must,  one  would  think,  be 
capable  of  enduring  great  fatigue.  He  is  pot-bellied,  and 
unusually  round  in  the  face.  His  complexion  is  florid.  He 
has  all  the  indications  of  good  health  about  him.  In  the  ex- 
pression of  his  countenance  there  is  nothing  remarkable;  it 
is  soft  and  stupid-like,  rather  than  shrewd  or  intelligent.  He 
usually  wears  a  black  coat,  cassimere  breeches,  and  a  light 


96  MR.  CHARLES  GRANT. 

rassimero  wnistroat.  The  latter  is  always  double-breasted, 
and  in  tln>  hottest  weather,  when  other  members  were  within 
a  few  degrees  of  suffocation,  lie  was,  when  in  the  Mouse  or* 
Commons,  invariably  buttoned  up  close  to  his  chin,  just  as  it' 
he  had  been  wintering  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Aorth 
Pole.  His  appearance  altogether  is  exactly  that  of  a  tanner, 
and  his  manners  are  remarkable  tor  their  unaffected  simpli- 
city. He  looks  younger  than  he  is,  his  age  being  h'tly- 
three. 

Mr.  CHARLES  GRANT,  now  Lord  GLENELG,  was  a  person  of 
considerable  consequence  in  the  House,  both  because  of  his 
being  a  member  of  the  Cabinet,  and  because  of  his  qualifica- 
tions for  speaking.  Few  members  could  make  a  better  speech 
when  he  prepared  himself  for  the  occasion.  His  reasoning 
was  always  ingenious  and  close,  and  his  diction  elegant— oft- 
times  poetical.*  From  beginning  to  end  it  was  a  pure, 
copious,  uninterrupted  flow  of  eloquence.  There  is  something 
very  sweet  in  his  voice,  though  it  be  weak.  His  speeches 
were  always  listened  to  with  the  deepest  attention,  and  hard- 
ly ever  without  the  highest  gratification,  by  the  House.  His 
utterance  is  rapid,  but  remarkably  fluent.  His  gesture  is 
graceful,  and  his  manner  altogether  dignified  and  winning. 
His  personal  stature  is  that  of  the  usual  size;  his  form  is 
slender.  He  is  careless  in  his  dress;  his  apparel  is  always  of 
the  best  quality,  but  is  hardly  ever  tolerably  made.  He  seems 
to  be  one  of  those  who  like  plenty  of  room  in  their  clothes. 
His  face  is  angular;  his  complexion  is  one  of  the  fairest  I 
ever  saw,  and  his  hair  is  white  as  the  purest  snow.  His 
countenance  has  a  very  thoughtful  expression.  There  are 
few  men  of  a  more  studious  disposition,  though  he  spoke  so 
seldom  in  the  House.  Though  he  does  not  go  to  bed  before 
one  or  two  o'clock,  he  generally  rises  at  six.  He  is  in  his 
fifty-second  year. 


*  Mr.  Charles  Grant  is  a  poet,  though  not  generally  known  as 
such.  When  at  the  University  of  Oxford,  in  1806,  he  published  a 
poem  on  India,  which,  considering  that  he  was  then  a  very  young 
man,  held  out  the  most  confident  promises  of  future  eminence  as 
a  poet.  He  did  not,  however,  cultivate  the  poetic  vein  as  lie  ought 
to  have  done.  Indeed,  after  quitting  Oxford,  he  neglected  it  alto- 
gethcr,  in  so  far  as  publication  was  concerned,  though  he  is  still 
understood  to  pay  homage  to  the  Muses  in  his  more  leisure  mo- 
ments. 


MR.  ROBERT  GRANT. MR.  JEFFREY.  97 

Mr.  ROBERT  GRANT,  formerly  Judge  Advocate,  and  mem- 
ber for  Finsbury  (now  Governor  of  Bombay),  is  a  brother  of 
Mr.  Charles  Grant's.  He  is  an  excellent  speaker,  and  a  man 
of  great  talents ;  but  very  indolent.  He  would  only  speak 
when  the  duties  of  his  office  compelled  him  to  it.  With  the 
single  exception  of  his  speeches  when  prefacing  his  annual 
motion  for  the  last  few  years  for  the  emancipation  of  the 
Jews,  he  made  few  speeches  of  late  of  any  importance.  His 
language,  like  his  brother's,  was  always  chaste  and  eloquent, 
and  his  manner  graceful.  He  spoke  with  much  fluency,  and 
when  prepared  for  the  occasion,  had  hardly  ever  to  recall  a 
word.  When,  however,  he  was  under  the  necessity  of  speak- 
ing extempore,  I  have  often  seen  him  have  great  difficulty  in 
getting  through  his  speech  in  a  tolerably  creditable  manner. 
His  voice  is  highly  musical,  and  capable  of  being  modulated 
at  pleasure.  In  person  he  is  about  the  same  height  as  his 
brother ;  but  of  a  more  robust  constitution.  His  complexion 
is  ruddy,  his  face  full,  and  his  hair  of  a  pure  white.  Like 
his  brother,  he  is  a  man  of  spotless  private  character,  and 
was  much  respected  by  men  of  all  parties.  He  is  in  his  fif- 
tieth year. 

Mr.  FRANCIS  JEFFREY,*  then  Lord  Advocate  of  Scotland, 
was  first  returned  to  Parliament  in  1831,  for  the  burgh  of 
Malton ;  afterwards  he  was  twice  elected  for  the  City  of  Edin- 
burgh. I  never  knew  a  Parliamentary  deb&t  which  was  re- 
garded with  greater  or  more  general  interest,  or  respecting 
the  success  of  which  more  confident  expectations  were  enter- 
tained. He  had,  by  means  of  the  Edinburgh  Review,  which 
he  had  conducted  from  its  commencement,  not  only  brought 
about  a  complete  revolution  in  periodical  criticism,  but  had 
given  a  tone  to  the  literature  of  the  nineteenth  century.  He 
was  called  the  Prince  of  Critics,  and  his  critical  supremacy 
was  universally  acknowledged.  Some  of  his  compositions — 
his  articles  on  Taste,  for  example,  which  were  written  in  re- 
ply to  the  Rev.  Archibald  Allison — were  admitted  by  every 
competent  judge,  to  be  the  most  beautiful  specimens  of  writing 
which  had  appeared  in  the  English  language.  The  Parlia- 
mentary debut,  therefore,  of  a  man  who  had  performed  so  dis- 
tinguished a  part  on  the  literary  stage,  and  who  was  still  re- 
garded as  unrivalled  in  periodical  criticism,  could  not  fail  to 
excite  very  deep  and  general  interest ;  but  that  interest  was 
greatly  increased  by  the  reputation  he  had  acquired  as  a  law- 

*  Now  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of  Session. 
9 


93  MR.  JEFFREY. 

yor  and  speaker.  At  the  Scottish  bar,  and  at  public  meetings 
in  Edinburgh,  lie  knew  no  competitor  as  a  speaker.  When  it 
was  known  thnt  he  \v;is  to  speak  at  a  public  Hireling1  on  any 
important  question,  persons  would  have  (locked  from  a  circuit 
of  twenty  miles  to  hear  him.  The  Scottish  press,  knowing 
Mr.  Jeffrey's  distinguished  reputation  in  his  own  country  as  a 
public  speaker,  never  dreamed  that  he  might  fail  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  where  the  scene  would  not  only  be  new  to  him, 
but  where  he  would  have  to  compete  with  persons  possessing 
first-rate  talents  as  public  speakers, — which  he  had  never  had 
to  do  in  his  own  country.  Hence  the  Scotch  papers  increased 
the  interest  with  which  his  maiden  effort  in  St.  Stephen's 
was  looked  forward  to,  by  paragraphs  without  number,  in 
which  they  confidently  predicted  that  he  would  not  only  gra- 
tify, but  electrify  the  house,  by  the  brilliancy  of  his  eloquence. 
It  was  expected  that  he  would  speak  on  some  important  ques- 
tion which  stood  for  discussion  the  second  or  third  night,  I  do 
not  recollect  which,  after  he  took  the  oaths  and  his  seat.  The 
house  was  consequently  filled  in  every  part,  and  an  unusual 
number  of  literary  characters  were  in  and  under  the  gallery. 
In  so  far  as  their  expectations  relative  to  the  mere  circum- 
stance of  the  Lord  Advocate's  speaking  on  that  particular 
night  were  concerned,  honourable  members  and  strangers 
were  not  disappointed ;  as  regarded  the  character  and  effect 
of  his  oratory,  they  were  grievously  so.  He  spoke  for  about 
an  hour  and  twenty  minutes ;  but  the  effort  was  a  complete 
failure.  His  matter  was  refined  and  philosophical  in  the 
highest  degree.  It  was  nearly  as  unintelligible  to  the  ma- 
jority of  his  auditory  as  if  he  had  spoken  some  most  abstruse 
article,  intended  for  the  Edinburgh  Review,  in  answer  to 
Kant,  or  some  other  German  metaphysicians.  Of  course,  it 
made  no  impression,  and  produced  no  effect.  Then,  the 
amazing  rapidity  of  his  delivery  operated  much  against  the 
speech.  I  think  I  never  heard  a  person,  either  in  or  out  of 
the  house,  speak  so  fast  as  he  did  on  that  occasion.  The  most 
experienced  short-hand  reporters  were  unable  to  follow  him  ; 
they  mentioned  the  circumstance  in  the  papers  of  the  follow- 
ing morning,  as  a  reason  for  not  giving  his  speech  at  greater 
length.  Members  usually  speak  at  the  rate  of  two  columns 
and  a  half  of  the  Times  newspaper  in  an  hour.  Had  a  / :<  rhuli/n. 
report  of  what  Mr.  Jeffrey  spoke  in  an  hour,  been  given  in  that 
journal,  it  would  have  filled  four  of  its  columns.  Yet  notwith- 
standing the  rapidity  with  which  Mr.  Jeffrey  spoke  on  this 
occasion,  he  never  so  much  as  faltered  once,  nor  recalled  a 


COLONEL  TORRENS.  99 

word  which  he  uttered,  to  substitute  one  more  suitable  for  it. 
His  language,  indeed,  was  fluent  and  elegant  in  the  extreme. 
His  manner,  too,  was  graceful,  but  it  wanted  variety.  His 
voice  was  clear  and  pleasant ;  but  it  had  no  flexibility  in  its 
intonations.  He  continued  and  ended  in  much  the  same  tones 
as  he  began.  The  same  monotony  characterized  his  gesticu- 
lation. He  was  cheered  to  some  extent;  but  the  applause 
was  not  so  general,  nor  cordial,  nor  frequent,  as  to  indicate  a 
successful  debut.  In  fact,  he  himself  saw  his  maiden  effort 
was  a  failure,  and  that  there  was  all  the  difference  in  the 
world  between  the  House  of  Commons,  and  the  Waterloo 
Hotel,  or  Law-courts  of  Edinburgh.  He  never  after  volun- 
teered a  speech  of  any  length.  When  he  spoke,  it  was  only 
when  forced  to  it  by  his  office,  and  then  always  as  briefly  as 
possible.  Latterly,  he  excited  no  more  interest  in  the  house 
than  the  least  talented  member.  It  was  a  great  pity  for 
his  oratorical  fame  that  he  ever  entered  the  house  at  all. 

In  person,  Mr.  Jeffrey  is  below  the  middle  size,  and  slender 
made.  There  is  something  of  a  thoughtful  expression  in  his 
countenance.  His  face  is  small  and  compact,  rather,  if  any- 
thing, inclining  to  the  angular  form.  His  eye-lashes  are  pro- 
minent. His  forehead  is  remarkably  low,  considering  the  intel- 
lectual character  of  the  man.  His  complexion  is  dark,  and  his  hair 
black.  He  quitted  parliament  last  year.  His  age  is  about  fifty. 

Colonel  TORRENS,  late  member  for  Bolton,  was  many  years 
in  the  House  of  Commons.  The  principal  cause  of  his  rejec- 
tion by  his  former  constituents,  at  the  last  election,  was  his 
not  "  going  the  whole  hog,"  as  the  phrase  now  is  among  the 
Radical  party.  He  was  one  out  of  many  candidates  who,  at 
that  election,  fell  between  the  extreme  parties  ;  the  Ultra- 
Radicals  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Ultra-Tories  on  the  other. 
It  is  a  curious  anomaly,  but  it  is  a  fact,  that  in  various  in- 
stances at  the  last  election,  and  at  the  one  which  preceded  it, 
Radicals  voted  for  Tory  candidates,  in  preference  to  the  Whig 
candidates,  and  Tories  for  Radical  candidates,  in  preference 
to  the  Whig  candidates.  And,  if  I  do  not  much  mistake  the 
signs  of  the  times,  there  will  be  many  much  more  striking 
illustrations,  in  this  respect,  of  extremes  meeting,  in  the  course 
of  a  few  years.  As  a  party,  the  Whigs,  if  not  already  extinct, 
are  on  a  fair  way  of  being  so.  There  will,  ere  long,  be  no 
moderate  or  middle  party;  the  Senate  and  Ihe  country  will 
both  be  divided  into  two  great  parties — the  Conservative  and 
the  Movement.  Colonel  Torrens,  I  believe,  speaks  feelingly 
on  this  subject.  He  is  convinced  that  it  will  no  longer  do  to 


100  COLONEL  TORRENS. 

ground  his  pretensions  to  the  honour  of  representing  any  con- 
stituency on  the  principles  of  the  old  Whig  school.  He  will 
argue  from  his  own  experience — generally  a  most  convincing 
species  of  logic  to  one's-solf,  whatever  it  may  he  to  others — 
that  if  a  man  would  entertain  any  rational  hope  of  being  elect- 
ed by  any  body  of  electors,  where  no  personal  considerations 
are  allowed  to  weigh  with  those  exercising  the  elective  fran- 
chise,— he  must  be  one  thing  or  another;  either  a  Tory,  or  a 
Liberal  in  the  most  liberal  acceptation  of  the  term. 

But  the  gallant  Colonel's  exclusion  from  Parliament,  under 
the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  case,  has  led  me  into  a  slight 
digression.  He  was  a  man  of  some  status  in  the  house.  He 
possesses  considerable  talents,  and  often  made  very  effective 
speeches.  On  all  questions  relating  to  the  Currency,  the 
Poor  Laws,  Emigration,  and,  indeed,  Political  Economy  in 
genera],  he  is  well-informed.  There  were  then,  and  there 
are  now,  but  few  Members  more  intimately  conversant  with 
these  topics.  He  is  a  pretty  good  speaker;  but  would  be 
a  much  better,  were  it  not  that  there  is  something  hard  and 
unmusical  about  his  voice.  There  is,  too,  a  good  deal  of  affec- 
tation and  pomposity  in  his  manner,  which,  of  course,  cannot 
be  in  his  favour.  He  does  not  hesitate  or  seem  to  be  at  a  loss 
for  words  wherewith  to  clothe  his  ideas,  but  his  style  is  not 
very  highly  polished.  He  was  generally  listened  to  with  at- 
tention in  the  house.  He  was  a  man  of  some  importance, 
both  on  account  of  his  talents,  and  his  being  the  principal  pro- 
prietor of  the  Globe  newspaper,  which  was,  during  the  whole 
period  the  Grey  Ministry  were  in  office,  understood  to  be  the 
accredited  organ  of  that  Government.  It  is  generally  under- 
stood, however,  that  the  gallant  Colonel  has  since  disposed  of 
his  interest  in  that  journal,  and  that  he  has  now  no  further 
influence  over  its  politics  than  that  which  the  mere  private 
respect  entertained  for  his  character  by  the  conductors,  may 
secure  to  him.  Since  his  comparative  retirement  from  public 
life,  he  has  partly  amused  himself  with  his  favourite  study  of 
political  economy.  A  few  months  since  he  published  a  large 
octavo  work  in  vindication  of  the  New  Australian  Company, 
of  which  he  is  one  of  the  leading  Directors,  from  an  attack  by 
a  writer  in  the  Westminster  Review. 

In  person,  the  gallant  Colonel  is  about  the  usual  size.  He 
has  a  finely  proportioned  figure,  and  a  high  and  well-developed 
forehead.  His  whole  physiognomy  has  an  intellectual  expres- 
sion. His  complexion  is  fair,  and  his  hair  something  between 
a  gray  and  white.  He  is  considerably  advanced  in  life,  being 


MR.  COI5BETT.  101 

near  his  sixtieth  year.  The  precursors  of  coming  old  age  are 
beginning  to  show  themselves.  Independently  of  the  colour 
of  his  hair,  there  are  slight  furrows  on  his  face.  He  sacri- 
fices a  good  deal  to  the  Graces.  His  appearance  is  gentle- 
manly and  prepossessing. 

I  shall  conclude  my  notice  of  the  late  members  of  the 
Liberal  party,  with  a  sketch  of  one  who  for  the  last  forty  years 
and  upwards,  has  filled  a  larger  space  in  the  public  eye  than 
any  other  person  in  the  lower  or  middle  ranks  of  life.  I  allude 
to  the  late  Mr.  COBBETT.  I  chanced  to  meet  with  him  in 
private  a  few  days  after  the  nleeting  of  the  Parliament  of 
1833,  and  consequently  a  few  days  after  he  had  made  his  legis- 
lative debut.  Like  those  soldiers  who  delight  to  fight  all  their 
battles  o'er  again,  Mr.  Cobbett  repeated  to  me,  verbatim,  the 
leading  parts  of  his  maiden  speech  in  the  house;  and  he  did 
it  with  zest  and  raciness  I  have  never  seen  surpassed.  He 
mentioned  to  me,  that  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  he  did  feel 
a  certain  degree  of  tremor,  when  he  first  rose  to  address  the 
House  of  Commons  ;  but  that  it  gradually  wore  off',  and  that 
before  the  conclusion  of  his  speech,  he  felt  almost  as  much 
self-possession  as  he  ever  did  in  delivering  a  public  address. 
He  ascribed  the  cause  of  his  trepidation,  partly  to  the  circum- 
stance of  his  addressing  an  assembly  altogether  different  in 
their  habits,  education,  manners,  opinions,  &c.  from  any  he 
had  ever  before  addressed  ;  and  partly  because  he  knew  that 
not  only  the  eyes  of  the  house  were  upon  him,  but  the  eyes  of 
the  whole  country ;  for,  he  added,  with  that  egotism  which 
so  largely  pervades  all  his  writings,  that  the  people  of  the 
three  kingdoms  looked  up  to  him  as  the  only  man  that  could 
save  the  country.  Hence  it  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Cobbett's 
egotism  was  not,  as  some  people  supposed,  merely  affected ; 
but  that  he  believed  he  had  all  the  merit  he  assumed,  and  also 
that  the  nation  had  as  high  an  opinion  of  him  as  he  himself 
entertained. 

Mr.  Cobbett  was  as  happy  at  abusing  an  opponent  in  private 
conversation  as  in  his  Political  Register.  Indeed,  judging 
from  some  specimens  he  afforded  me,  I  should  say  he  excelled 
himself,  as  a  writer,  in  verbal  vituperation.  Of  all  the  speci- 
mens of  abuse  I  ever  met  with,  either  written  or  spoken,  his 
abuse  of  Mr.  Spring  Rice,  who  had  one  evening  incurred  his 
displeasure,  by  denying  in  the  House  the  truth  of  some  state- 
ments he  had  made,  was  beyond  comparison  the  richest  and 
most  hearty.  This  was  in  conversation  with  me  a  few  days 
9* 


102  MR.  COBDETT. 

after  Mr.  Spring  Rice  had  subjected  himself  to  Mr.  Cobbett'g 
displeasure. 

In  the  House  of  Commons,  however,  he  was  not  at  all  in 
this  respect  tin-  sumo  iimn.  There,  he  was,  witli  very  few 
slight  exceptions,  careful  and  measured  in  his  language  when 
replying  to  an  opponent.  I  attribute  this  in  a  great  degree  to 
the  circumstance  of  Lord  (then  Mr.)  Stanley  having,  soon 
after  Cobbett's  admission  into  Parliament,  treated  him  with 
very  great  severity,  in  consequence  of  some  coarse  attack  he 
had  made  on  some  friend  of  Mr.  Stanley's:  for  it  was  a  singular 
fact,  that  though  Cobbett's  very  being  seemed  to  be  bound  up 
in  the  practice  of  indulging  in  the  grossest  vituperation  of 
others,  there  was  no  man  who  had  a  greater  dread  of  being 
abused  in  return,  than  himself. 

Mr.  Cobbett's  manner  of  speaking  strongly  resembled  his 
mode  of  writing.  His  style  was  always  plain,  but  vigorous. 
It  was  all  bone  and  muscle.  Every  word  was  in  its  proper 
place ;  and  there  were  no  disjointed  sentences.  I  never  knew 
him  indulge  in  a  trope  or  a  figure.  You  would  have  thought, 
from  the  extreme  felicity  and  colloquial  character  of  his  lan- 
guage, that  he  was  speaking  to  some  private  friend,  instead  of 
addressing  "  the  first  assembly  of  gentlemen  in  the  world." 

His  utterance  was  slow  and  distinct.  Perhaps  there  was 
no  member  in  the  House  whose  speeches  it  was  so  easy  to 
report.  His  manner  was  almost  invariably  good-humoured 
and  playful.  No  person  who  had  heard  him  speak,  could  ever, 
without  the  most  convincing  proof,  have  believed  that  he  was 
the  author  of  the  virulent  and  coarse  abuse  with  which  the 
pages  of  the  Register  abounded.  His  action  was  moderate 
and  gentle.  His  voice  was  clear  and  pleasant,  but  was  de- 
ficient in  variety.  Occasionally  it  had  a  sort  of  twang  about 
it.  He  was  not  a  noisy  speaker.  There  was  nothing  of  that 
energy  about  him  as  a  speaker,  which  was  the  leading  cha- 
racteristic, and  one  of  the  greatest  merits,  of  his  writings. 

One  of  Mr.  Cobbett's  sons,  in  giving  an  account  of  his 
father's  death,  says  he  believes  he  would  have  broken  his 
heart  if  the  people  of  Oldham  had  not  elected  him  a  second 
time.  I  can  well  credit  this;  for,  from  what  he  told  myself, 
I  have  no  doubt,  that  high  at  all  times  as  was  his  own  esti- 
mate of  his  merits  and  importance,  it  rose  at  least  fifty  per 
cent,  on  his  being  first  returned  to  Parliament.  He  mentioned 
to  me  that  he  had,  since  the  publication,  forty  years  ago,  of  his 
Letters  under  the  signature  of  "  Peter  Porcupine,"  been  the 
first  man  of  the  age ;  but  then,  he  added,  it  is  only  now  that 


MR.  COBBETT.  103 

the  people  have  proved  to  me  that  they  are  of  the  same  opinion. 
So  dignified  were  his  notions  of  being  a  member  of  Parliament, 
that  he  thought  he  had,  by  his  return  for  Oldham,  been  elevated 
to  a  far  higher  sphere  in  society  than  he  had  before  moved  in. 
There  was  doubtless  some  justice  in  the  opinion,  though  not 
half  so  much  as  he  thought.  He  had,  a  few  weeks  before  his 
election,  returned  from  his  tour  through  Scotland ;  and  I  re- 
member him  asking  me,  after  he  had  become  an  M.P., 
whether  I  considered  the  pledge  he  had  made  the  people  of 
Scotland,  of  revisiting  them  the  following  year,  to  be,  under 
the  altered  circumstances,  still  binding.  His  notion  was,  that 
thougli  "  lecturing"  was  a  very  respectable  occupation  for 
him  before  he  was  returned  to  Parliament,  it  would  be  a  very 
undignified  one  after  he  had  been  raised  to  that  distinction ; 
and  on  this  conviction  he  acted,  for  he  did  not  redeem  his 
pledge  of  paying  a  second  visit  to  the  people  of  Scotland. 

Mr.  Cobbett  was  by  no  means  attentive  to  his  Parliamentary 
duties.  He  was  not,  after  the  middle  of  the  first  session,  often 
in  the  house ;  and  when  he  did  attend,  it  was  only  for  a  very 
short  time.  This,  however,  it  is  right  to  add,  was  not  from 
any  defective  views  of  his  duty  to  his  constituents  and  the 
country ;  but  because  he  felt  the  close  and  heated  atmosphere 
of  the  house  not  only  unpleasant,  but  injurious  to  his  health. 
It  was  most  probably,  owing  to  his  previous  enjoyment  of 
much  exercise  in  the  open  air,  the  cause  of  his  death ;  for  so 
sudden  a  change,  at  his  advanced  age,  in  a  man's  habits,  could 
not  but  have  been  prejudicial  in  the  highest  degree  to  his 
constitution,  more  especially  as  he  was  of  a  corpulent  frame. 
Mr.  Hunt,  I  have  no  doubt,  as  already  mentioned,  also  fell  a 
sacrifice — for  he  also  was  advanced  in  life,  and  of  a  corpulent 
person — to  the  unhealthy  atmosphere  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons. Cobbett  seemed  to  have  laid  it  down  as  a  rule,  never 
to  remain  in  the  house  longer  than  ten  o'clock  :  I  do  not  re- 
member his  making  more  than  three  or  four  exceptions  to  this 
rule.  The  last  one  was  on  the  night  on  which  it  was  known 
that  there  would  be  a  division  on  the  question  of  the  Irish 
Church  Appropriation  Bill,  brought  in  by  Lord  John  Russell. 

Mr.  Cobbett  did  not  speak  often,  and  never  long  at  a  time. 
I  do  not  recollect  his  ever  having  made  a  speech  which  occu- 
pied more  than  twenty  or  thirty  minutes  in  the  delivery,  and 
very  seldom  indeed  so  much  as  that.  On  the  parsing  of  the 
Estimates  in  June  last,  he  seemed  to  have  been  seized  with  an 
extraordinary  love  of  speaking;  for  he  made,  on  that  evening, 
at  least  twenty  speeches  in  opposition  to  particular  grants  in 


104  Mil.  COBBETT. 

those  estimates.  The  last  speech  he  ever  made,  which  was 
about  three  weeks  before  his  death)  was  in  reply  to  Sir  Robert 
Peel,  who  opposed  the  motion  of  the  .Marquis  of  Chandos  for 
a  repeal  of  the  Malt  Tax.  lie  was  then  .«>  hoarse  that  not 
one  word  he  said,  though  ho  spoke  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
minute.-',  could  be  heard  half  a  dozen  yards  from  the  place  at 
which  he  spoke;  but  he  appeared  in  excellent  spirits. 

His  reputation  gained  nothing  by  his  admission  into  Parlia- 
ment. It  was  generally  expected  he  would  have  cut  a  figure 
in  the  house  by  means  of  his  eccentricities,  his  prejudices,  and 
talents  combined ;  but  the  event  proved  there  never  was  a 
more  groundless  expectation.  He  not  only,  as  I  have  just 
mentioned,  spoke  very  seldom,  hut  when  he  did,  he  excited  no 
inti-rest  whatever  in  the  house.  In  one  word,  his  parlia- 
mentary career  was  a  complete  failure. 

Mr.  Cobbett,  in  personal  stature,  was  tall  and  athletic.  I 
should  think  he  could  not  have  been  less  than  six  feet  two, 
while  his  breadth  was  proportionally  great.  He  was,  indeed, 
one  of  the  stoutest  men  in  the  house.  I  have  said  there  was 
a  tendency  to  corpulency  about  him.  His  hair  was  of  a  milk 
white  colour,  and  his  complexion  ruddy.  His  features  were 
not  strongly  marked.  What  struck  you  most  about  his  face 
was  his  small,  sparkling,  laughing  eyes.  When  disposed  to 
be  humorous  himself,  you  had  only  to  look  at  his  eyes  and  you 
were  sure  to  sympathize  in  his  merriment.  When  not  speak- 
ing, the  expression  of  his  eyes  and  his  countenance  was  very 
dilferent.  He  was  one  of  the  most  striking  refutations  of  the 
principles  of  Lavater  I  ever  witnessed.  Never  were  the 
looks  of  any  man  more  completely  at  variance  with  his  cha- 
racter. There  was  something  so  dull  and  heavy  about  hia 
whole  appearance,  that  any  one  who  did  not  know  him,  would 
at  once  have  set  him  down  for  some  country  clodpole — to  use 
a  favourite  expression  of  his  own — who  not  only  never  read  a 
book,  or  had  a  single  idea  in  his  head,  but  who  was  a  mere 
mass  of  mortality,  without  a  particle  of  sensibility  of  any  kind 
in  his  composition.  He  usually  sat  with  one  leg  over  the 
other,  his  head  slightly  drooping,  as  if  sleeping,  on  his  breast, 
and  his  hat  down  almost  to  his  eyes.  He  sat  on  a  particular 
seat  for  weeks  in  succession ;  but  then  would  all  of  a  sudden, 
and  without  any  one  knowing  for  what  cause,  change  it  for 
one  in  some  other  part  of  the  house ;  perhaps  one  on  the  other 
side.  I  remember  that  on  one  of  the  evenings — the  last  I 
think — on  which  the  Appropriation  question  was  discussed, 
and  the  decision  on  which  proved  fatal  to  Sir  Robert  Peel's 


MR.  COBBETT.  105 

Administration,  he  went  over  from  the  Opposition  side  of  the 
House  to  the  Ministerial,  and  sat  down  at  the  back  of  Sir 
Robert,  and  in  the  very  midst  of  the  Tory  party,  where  he  re- 
mained the  greater  part  of  the  night,  to  the  very  serious  an- 
noyance of  Sir  Robert  and  his  colleagues,  who  could  hardly 
exchange  a  word  with  each  other  lest  it  should  be  overheard 
by  Cobbett.  There  never  was  a  more  striking  illustration  of 
the  old  adage  about  an  enemy  being  in  the  camp.  The  cir- 
cumstance afforded  infinite  amusement  to  the  Liberal  party, 
and  proved  a  corresponding  infliction  to  the  Tories.  Cobbett's 
usual  dress  was  a  light  gray  coat,  of  a  full  make,  a  white  waist- 
coat, and  kerseymere  breeches  of  a  sandy  colour.  When  he 
walked  about  the  house  he  generally  had  his  hands  inserted  in 
his  breeches  pockets.  Considering  his  advanced  age,  seventy- 
three,  he  looked  remarkably  hale  and  healthy,  and  walked 
with  a  slow  but  firm  step.  A  fortnight  before  his  death,  he 
thought  himself— and  so  did  all  who  saw  him — that  he  was 
destined  to  live  for  many  years  to  come. 


HHJ  i.oun  JOHN  iii  --sri  i.. 


CHAPTER  X. 


MEMBERS  WHO  HAVE  SEATS  IN  THE  CABINET. 

Lord  John  Russell — Mr.  Spring  Rice — Sir  John  Cam  Hobhousc — 
Lord  Morpeth — Lord  liowick — Mr.  Poulutt  Thomson — Lord 
Palmcrston. 

IN  speaking1  of  the  members  of  Lord  Melbourne's  Ministry 
\vho  have  seats  in  the  Cabinet,  I  shall  take  them  at  random, 
and  not  according  to  any  supposed  superiority  of  talent.  In- 
deed, in  regard  to  talent  there  are  so  many  of  them  so  nearly 
on  an  equality,  that  it  would  be  no  easy  matter  to  determine 
which  of  them  on  that  account  were  entitled  to  a  priority  of 
notice. 

Lord  JOHN  RUSSELL,  from  his  station  as  leader  of  the  Minis- 
terial side  of  the  House,  and  his  having  also  been  leader  of 
the  Opposition  previous  to  the  downfall  of  Sir  Robert  Peel's 
Administration,  is  clearly  entitled  to  be  first  introduced  to  the 
attention  of  rny  readers.  He  is  small  in  stature,  considerably 
below  the  middle  size.  He  is  slenderly  made,  and  has  alto- 
gether the  appearance  of  a  person  of  a  weakly  constitution ; 
his  features  are  large  and  broadly  marked,  considering  the 
size  of  his  face.  His  complexion  is  pale,  and  his  countenance 
has  a  pensive  cast.  He  scarcely  ever  indulges  in  a  smile. 
His  hair  is  of  a  brown  colour.  He  usually  wears  a  brown 
coat,  a  light  coloured  waistcoat,  and  kerseymere  trowsers  of  a 
sandy  complexion.  He  is  in  his  fifty-third  year. 

Lord  John  is  one  of  the  worst  speakers  in  the  house,  and 
but  for  his  excellent  private  character,  his  family  connexions, 
and  his  consequent  influence  in  the  political  world,  would  not 
be  tolerated.  There  are  many  far  better  speakers,  who,  not- 
withstanding their  innumerable  efforts  to  catch  the  Speaker's 
eye  in  the  course  of  important  debates,  hardly  ever  succeed  ; 
or  if  they  do,  are  generally  put  down  by  the  clamour  of 
honourable  members.  His  voice  is  weak  and  his  enunciation 
very  imperfect  He  speaks  in  general  in  so  low  a  tone  as  to 
be  inaudible  to  more  than  one-half  of  the  House.  His  style  is 
often  in  bad  taste,  and  he  stammers  and  stutters  at  every 
fourth  or  fifth  sentence.  He  has  an  awkward  custom  of  re- 


LORD  JOHN  RUSSELL.  107 

peating,  frequently  three  or  four  times,  the  first  two  or  three 
words  of  a  sentence,  accompanied  by  a  corresponding  number 
of  what  Shakspeare  calls  "  hems,"  when  at  a  loss  for  terms 
whereby  to  express  his  ideas.  For  example,  if  the  idea  to 
which  he  wanted  to  give  expression  were,  that  he  thought  the 
motion  of  a  certain  honourable  member  ill-timed,  he  would 
express  himself  in  something  like  this  manner,  in  the  instances 
I  have  supposed:  "I — I — I — hem — think  the  motion  of  the 
honourable  member  is — is  ill-timed  at  the — at  the — hem — 
present  moment."  When  he  is  audible  he  is  always  clear : 
there  is  no  mistaking  hig  meaning.  Generally  his  speeches 
are  feeble  in  matter  as  well  as  manner ;  but  on  some  great  occa- 
sions I  have  known  him  make  very  able  speeches,  more  dis- 
tinguished, however,  for  the  clear  and  forcible  way  in  which 
he  put  the  arguments  which  would  most  naturally  suggest 
themselves  to  a  reflecting  mind,  than  for  any  striking  or  com- 
prehensive views  of  the  subject.  His  manner  is  usually  cold 
and  inanimate  in  the  extreme.  Not  only  are  his  utterance  im- 
perfect and  indistinct,  and  the  tones  of  his  voice  weak  and 
monotonous,  but  he  stands  as  motionless  as  the  table  beside 
which  he  speaks.  On  some  of  the  great  occasions,  however, 
to  which  1  have  referred,  I  have  often  known  him  raise  his 
voice  to  a  pitch  sufficiently  high  to  render  himself  audible  in 
all  parts  of  the  house.  1  have  also  in  some  such  cases  known 
him  make  use  of  moderate  gesture,  and  exhibit  to  the  House 
several  of  the  leading  attributes  of  an  effective  speaker.  In 
other  words,  I  have  known  him,  apart  from  the  importance 
which,  from  his  family  relations  and  position  in  the  House, 
attached  to  anything  he  said, — make  effective  speeches — 
speeches  which  must  have  commanded  attention,  from  what- 
ever member  and  from  whatever  side  of  the  house  they  proceeded. 

I  never  knew  a  man  more  cool  and  collected  when  speak- 
ing. He  exhibits  no  signs  of  feeling  or  of  warmth.  You 
would  almost  think  him,  even  in  many  cases  when  his  voice 
is  raised  to  the  highest  pitch  of  which  it  is  capable,  a  sort  of 
automaton.  On  no  occasion,  even  when  most  unwarrantably 
and  virulently  attacked,  have  I  ever  known  him  betray  a  loss 
of  temper.  This  circumstance  is  the  source  of  great  morti- 
fication to  his  opponents.  I  have  often  seen  Sir  Robert  Peel 
labour  with  all  his  might  to  irritate  the  temper  of  Lord  John; 
but  never  with  effect.  In  fact,  Sir  Robert  and  his  party  see- 
ing the  task  to  be  hopeless,  have  all  but  ceased  to  be  severe 
at  his  expense. 

Lord  John   is  an  admirable  tactician.     His  judgment  ia 


108  MtRI)  JOHN  KINSELL. 

singularly  good  as  to  the  best  course  to  be  pursued  in  all  cases 
of  difficulty.  I  am  satisfied  he  lias,  in  this  respect,  no  equal 
in  the  House.  I  am  persuaded  there  is  not  a  man  out  of  the 
six  hundred  and  fifty-seven  who  would,  had  he  been  in  liis 
situation  of  leader  of  the  Opposition,  before  the  downfall  of  the 
Pod  Administration,  have  acted,  in  the  trying  circumstances 
in  which  he  was  then  placed,  with  equal  judgment  and  dis- 
cretion. The  difficulties  of  his  position  during  the  Peel  dy- 
nasty, did  not  chiefly  arise  from  the  number  and  unanimity  of 
the  adverse  party.  These  were  formidable  enough,  certainly ; 
but  they  principally  arose  from  the  imprudence  of  the  most 
zealous  and  honest  of  the  Reformers  themselves.  Some  of 
these  were,  day  after  day,  intent  on  bringing  forward  special 
motions,  to  bring  the  question,  as  they  said,  of  which  party 
was  to  triumph  in  the  House,  to  a  decision  at  once.  One  ex- 
pedient, with  this  view,  suggested  by  a  very  large  number  of 
the  Radical  party,  and  coincided  in  by  many  others,  was,  that 
of  proposing  a  formal  vote  of  want  of  confidence  in  Sir  Robert 
Pool's  Government.  Lord  John  opposed  this,  as  a  rash  step, 
and  one  which  there  was  every  reason  to  fear  would  be  thu 
means  of  establishing  the  very  Government  it  was  intended 
to  overthrow;  inasmuch  as  many  sincere  Reformers  would 
have  voted  against  such  a  motion,  on  the  ground  that,  as 
Sir  Robert  Peel  demanded  a  fair  trial,  it  would  be  advisable 
to  let  him  have  it, — as  then,  in  the  event  of  his  failing  to 
bring  forward  liberal  measures,  the  dissolution  of  his  Govern- 
ment would  be  hailed  by  all  classes  of  Reformers  in  the  coun- 
try, while  the  mouths  of  his  own  party  would  be  shut  as  to 
any  charges  against  the  Liberal  party  of  unfair  conduct,  or  of 
Sir  Robert's  Government  being  condemned  unheard.  Then 
came  the  proposition  of  Mr.  Hume,  founded  on  a  recommen- 
dation of  Sir  John  Campbell,  in  an  election  speech  at  Edin- 
burgh, to  stop  the  supplies.  Mr.  Hume  gave  formal  notice  of 
a  motion  to  that  effect,  and  he  was  encouraged  to  persevere  in 
it  by  a  considerable  portion  of  the  Liberal  press,  and  by  a  very 
large  proportion  of  the  Liberal  members  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons. Lord  John  Russell  saw  that  the  result  would  be  the 
very  reverse  of  what  Mr.  Hume  and  others  had  anticipated — 
that  instead  of  a  majority  for  such  a  motion,  there  would  be  a 
considerable  majority  against  it.  He  saw  clearly  that  many 
Reformers  would  vote  against  it,  on  the  ground  that  they 
were  anxious  to  avoid  everything  which  could  be  construed 
into  a  factious  opposition  to  Sir  Robert's  Government ;  while 
others  would  be  equally  adverse  to  it,  from  an  apprehension 


MR.  SPRING  RICE.  109 

that,  if  carried,  it  would  be  attended  with  serious  conse- 
quences to  the  credit  of  the  country.  Sir  Robert  himself  saw 
the  matter  in  the  same  light;  and  hence,  to  use  his  own 
words,  he  "  panted"  for  either  motion  being  brought  forward, 
as  the  rejection  of  it  could  not  fail  to  be  the  salvation  of  his 
Government.  Lord  John,  in  both  these  respects,  evinced 
consummate  judgment,  and  also  a  decision  of  character  which 
but  very  few  possess ;  for,  on  the  one  hand,  he  was  pressingly 
importuned  to  bring  forward  some  such  motions  himself,  by 
means  of  the  most  seductive  flattery ;  and  on  the  other,  when 
he  expressed  his  disapprobation  of  such  a  course,  he  was 
charged  by  many  less  discerning  Reform  members  with  purpose- 
ly betraying  the  liberal  cause,  and  playing  designedly  into  the 
hands  of  the  Tories.  He  wisely  determined  to  wait  the  first 
opportunity  which  would  be  afforded  the  Reformers  of  joining 
issue  with  the  Peel  Government,  by  Sir  Robert  himself  bring- 
ing forward  some  motion  involving  some  great  principle.  The 
Irish  Tithes  Bill  of  Sir  Robert  furnished  that  opportunity. 
As  it  made  no  allusion,  either  to  the  actual  existence  of  any 
surplus  property  in  the  Church  of  Ireland,  or  to  its  appropria- 
tion, Lord  John  determined  on  moving  that  no  Tithes  Bill  for 
Ireland  would  be  satisfactory  to  the  House  which  did  not  re- 
cognize the  principle  of  appropriating  to  th'e  general  purposes 
of  education  any  surplus  revenues  in  the  Irish  Church  which 
might  be  found  to  exist.  This  brought  the  matter  to  a  bear- 
ing at  once.  No  Reformer  could  shrink  from  asserting  that 
principle.  There  was  no  room  for  the  imputation  of  factious 
motives  on  the  part  of  the  Liberal  party.  The  opportunity  of 
asserting  their  principles  was  not  ostensibly  of  their  own  seek- 
ing, however  anxiously  they  may  have  longed  for  it.  The 
necessity  was,  in  a  manner,  imposed  on  them  by  Sir  Robert 
Peel  himself,  as  it  would  have  been  deemed  by  the  country  a 
cowardly  abandonment  of  their  principles,  to  have  suffered  the 
Tithes  Bill  to  be  read  a  second  time,  without  coupling  with  it 
the  record  of  their  sentiments  on  the  question  of  Appropria- 
tion, both  subjects  being  so  closely  associated  together  in  the 
case  of  Ireland.  The  event  proved  the  soundness  of  the 
judgment  and  the  excellence  of  the  tactics  of  Lord  John. 

Mr.  SPRING  RICE,  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  and 
Member  for  Cambridge  is,  perhaps,  from  the  prominent  part 
he  takes  in  the  debates  in  the  House,  the  next  member  of  the 
Cabinet  entitled  to  notice.  Like  Lord  John  Russell,  he  is  of 
diminutive  stature,  though  not  nearly  so  slenderly  made. 
10 


110  MR.  SPRING  RICE. 

Though  small  in  size,  he  has  a  rather  handsome  person,  of 
which,  ho\ve\er,  he  is  immoderately  proud.  He  is  somewhat 
of  a  dandy,  lie  wears  a  profusion  of  rings  on  his  fingers.  I 
think  I  have  counted,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  seven  or 
eight,  though  I  will  not  now  be  positive  as  to  the  exact,  num- 
ber, lie  usually  wears  a  green  surtout,  and  a  smart  black 
stock.  The  collar  of  his  shirt  is  of  unusual  height.  James 
Hogg,  the  Ettrick  Shepherd,  mentions  in  his  autobiography 
that  the  first  time  he  saw  Mr.  Gait,  the  left  ear  of  that  cele- 
brated writer  was  completely  concealed  from  view  by  the 
height  or  depth,  call  it  which  you  please,  of  his  collar.  Mr. 
Gait  once  alluded,  in  conversation  with  me,  to  this  statement 
of  Hogg,  which  he  characterised  as  altogether  unfounded, 
but  charitably  ascribed  it  to  some  imperfection  of  memory,  or 
other  unintentional  mistake,  on  the  part  of  the  Ettrick  Shep- 
herd. I  only,  however,  speak  the  words  of  truth,  when  I 
mention,  that  Mr.  Spring  Rice's  shirt  collar  is  so  higli  that  I 
have  often  wondered  his  ears  were  no£  cut  by  it.  Without  a 
high  collar  and  a  smart  stiff  stock  he  would  be  nothing  in  his 
own  estimation.  He  has  altogether  a  prim  appearance,  both 
in  his  manners  and  dress. 

He  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  is  now  forty-five  years  of 
age.  He  has  a  long  sharp  face,  of  a  rather  pleasant  and  in- 
telligent expression.  His  forehead  is  well  developed,  and  his 
complexion  is  clear  and  healthy.  His  manner  is  courteous 
and  conciliatory  to  all  parties,  whether  friends  or  foes.  He 
seems  to  have  few  personal  dislikes ;  or  if  he  have,  he  has 
the  policy  to  conceal  them.  He  is  never  coarse  or  personally 
abusive  in  his  replies  to  an  opponent;  and  I  do  not  think  he 
has  many,  if  any,  personal  enemies  in  the  House.  He  is  a 
man  of  considerable  talents,  but  more  showy  than  solid. 

As  a  debater  he  has  no  pretensions  to  be  ranked  in  the  first 
class,  but  he  is  far  above  mediocrity.  His  enunciation  is  al- 
ways clear,  and  his  voice  is  audible  in  every  part  of  the 
House ;  but  there  is  a  studied  pompousness  about  his  manner, 
which  cannot  fail  to  strike  every  one  who  hears  him.  He 
aims  much  at  an  imitation  of  the  manner  of  Sir  Robert  Peel. 
His  voice  is  not,  in  its  compass,  and  the  power  he  has  over  it, 
unlike  that  of  the  member  for  Tamworth,  but  it  wants  its 
sweetness  and  melody  of  tone.  In  his  most  pathetic  moods, 
Mr.  Spring  Rice's  voice  has  a  strong  nasal  tone.  He  uses  a 
good  deal  of  gesticulation,  chiefly  with  his  right  hand,  and  by 
turning  about  his  face  from  one  part  of  the  House  to  another. 


SIR  JOHN  CAM  HOBHOUSE.  Ill 

Like  Sir  Robert  Peel,  however,  he  principally  addresses  his 
own  party,  and  in  every  instance  when  he  says,  or  fancies  he 
has  said,  something  clever,  looks  them  wistfully  and  smilingly 
in  the  face  for  the  expected  cheer.  They  understood  the 
thing  perfectly  well,  and  are  seldom  cruel  enough  to  refuse 
him  the  '•  hear,  hear,  hear!"  the  laugh,  or  the  "  hurrah!"  He 
is  fond  of  making  long  speeches,  and  therefore,  as  might  be 
expected,  frequently  repeats  himself.  When,  in  the  Session 
of  1834,  Mr.  O'Connell  brought  forward  his  motion  for  the 
Repeal  of  the  Union,  Mr.  Spring  Rice  opposed  the  measure 
in  a  speech  which  occupied  five  hours  in  the  delivery.  Had 
the  oration  been  stript  of  its  verbiage  and  the  tautology  it 
contained,  one-third  of  the  time  would  have  sufficed  for  its 
delivery.  In  bringing  forward  the  budget,  in  August  last, 
though  it  contained  fewer  alterations  in  the  taxation  of  the 
country  than  any  budget  I  ever  recollect  to  have  heard  sub- 
mitted to  Parliament,  he  occupied  the  House  about  two  hours 
and  a  half,  being  double  the  usual  time  which  previous  Chan- 
cellors of  the  Exchequer,  excepting  in  peculiar  cases,  were 
accustomed  to  take  in  making  their  financial  statements. 
Ten  minutes  would  have  been  ample  time  for  the  delivery  of 
his  expostf,  had  the  length  of  the  speech  been  regulated  by 
the  relevant  matter  it  contained. 

Sir  JOHN  CAM  HOBHOUSE,  member  for  Nottingham,  and 
President  of  the  Board  of  Control,  is  another  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Cabinet.  Ever  since  his  rejection  by  the  West- 
minster electors,  until  the  beginning  of  last  Session,  Sir 
John  took  very  little  part  in  the  proceedings  of  Parliament. 
During  that  interval  he  hardly  delivered  a  single  speech  of 
any  importance  or  of  any  length.  The  loss  of  the  represen- 
tation of  Westminster,  where  he  fancied  he  was  securely 
seated  for  life,  made  a  deep  and  lasting  impression  on  his 
mind,  and,  for  a  time,  in  a  great  measure  paralyzed  his  ener- 
gies. The  return,  however,  of  the  Tories  to  power,  and  the 
peculiar  circumstances  under  which  Lord  Melbourne's  Minis- 
try, of  which  he  was  a  member,  were  dismissed  to  make  way 
for  that  of  Sir  Robert  Peel,  aroused  him  from  his  comparative 
lethargy.  Few  men  were  more  instrumental  in  overthrowing 
the  Administration  of  the  Tamworth  Baronet  than  Sir  John 
Hobhouse.  In  speaking  of  Sir  Robert  Peel,  I  have  adverted 
to  the  effectiveness  of  Sir  John's  attacks  on  that  right  hon. 
gentleman  and  the  Cabinet  of  which  he  was  the  head.  I 
have  seldom  seen  happier  efforts  than  some  of  those  which 


112  SIR  JOHN  CAM 

Sir  John  made  during  the  temporary  existence  of  the  Peel 
(.inuTiiiiK'nt..  H>'  M'i/.i-d  willi  u  sort  of  hilhlliblu  and  intuitive 
sagacity  on  tin-  weak  points  both  in  the  •government  and  the 
ches  of  Sir  Robert,  and  these  he  assailed  with  a  skill, 
energy,  and  eiibct,  which  could  not  have  been  surpassed. 
Almost  every  sentence  he  uttered  was  a  spoken  dagger  to  the 
breast  of  the  unhappy  Sir  Robert.  Both  the  latter  indivi- 
dually, and  his  Ministry  collectively,  seemed  like  mere  play- 
things in  the  hands  of  Sir  John,  which  he  could  use  at  his 
pleasure.  I  have  referred,  in  a  former  part  of  the  work,  to 
Sir  John's  speech  on  the  appointment  of  the  Marquis  of  Lon- 
donderry as  ambassador  to  the  Court  of  Russia.  It  was  a 
perfect  masterpiece  of  its  kind.  I  never  knew  a  speech 
which  told  with  better  effect  on  the  House;  and  what  added 
to  its  merits  was  the  fact  that  it  was  altogether  spontaneous, 
and  scarcely  seemed  to  require  an  effort.  Sir  John's  whole 
heart  and  soul  appeared  to  be  thrown  into  his  words.  As  he 
felt  he  spoke,  and  as  he  spoke  Sir  Robert  and  his  friends 
felt,  aye, — and  as  formerly  mentioned — repeatedly  changed 
colour  too. 

Sir  John's  manner  is  very  changeable.  As  a  speaker  he 
appears  to  far  greater  advantage  in  attack  than  in  defence. 
He  is  then,  especially  on  important  questions,  full  of  fire  and 
animation.  His  voice,  which  has  something  of  a  bass  tone  in 
it,  is  raised  to  an  unusually  high  pitch,  and  his  action  becomes 
correspondingly  energetic.  Sometimes  he  raises  both  arms 
above  his  head,  and  violently  beats  the  air  with  them.  At 
others,  he  puts  them  both  behind  his  back,  when  he  joins  his 
hands  together.  When  in  this  position  he  usually  recedes 
four  or  rive  feet  from  the  table,  and  then  rapidly  advancing 
towards  it  again,  disengages  his  hands,  and  knocks  the  box  or 
the  books  on  the  table,  with  some  energy,  with  his  right  hand. 
At  other  times  he  places  his  arms  across  each  other  on  his 
breast,  and  looks  the  opponent  at  whom  he  is  levelling  his  ar- 
guments and  his  ridicule  full  in  the  face,  with  an  air  of  half- 
suppressed  scorn. 

In  defence,  again,  you  would  hardly  think  he  was  the  same 
man.  He  speaks  in  a  subdued  tone,  and  sometimes  lowers 
his  voice  so  much  as  to  be  inaudible  in  various  parts  of  the 
House.  He  then  uses  but  little  gesture,  and  that  of  a  very 
gentle  kind.  One  favourite  attitude,  in  most  cases,  is  leaning 
his  right  elbow  on  the  table,  and  placing  his  left  arm  on  his 
side.  You  will  at  once  perceive  that  he  then  speaks  from 


SIR  JOHN  CAM  IIOBHOt'SE.  113 

necessity,  not  from  choice;  in  which  case  it  is  impossible  he 
can  speak  so  well.  In  defending  himself,  towards  the  close 
of  last  Session,  when  attacked  by  Mr.  Praed  for  rescinding 
the  appointment  of  Lord  Heytesbury  to  India,  he  spoke  in  a 
very  confused  manner,  and  did  not  exhibit  the  least  animation. 
He  often  stammered,  and  sometimes  recalled,  not  whole  words 
only,  but  whole  sentences  that  were  out  of  joint.  Any  one, 
to  have  heard  him  on  that  occasion  for  the  first  time,  would 
have  gone  away  with  a  very  unfavourable  impression  both  of 
his  oratory  and  his  argumentative  powers.  The  speech,  how- 
ever, though  thus  so  much  damaged  in  the  delivery,  was  one 
of  very  great  ability,  as  it  was  universally  admitted  to  be  by 
every  one  who  read  the  report  of  it  in  the  newspapers  of  the 
following  day. 

In  person,  Sir  John  Hobhouse  is  rather  below  the  middle 
size,  and  is  slightly  inclined  to  corpulency.  He  is  now  in  his 
fifty-first  year.  His  hair  is  dark,  and  his  complexion  pale. 
His  countenance  is  strongly  marked,  chiefly  from  the  promi- 
nence of  his  nose.  It  is  both  large  and  singular  in  its  con- 
formation, partaking  a  good  deal  of  the  quality  called  Roman, 
when  that  term  is  applied  to  the  nasal  organ.  There  is  some- 
thing of  a  pensive  cast  about  Sir  John's  countenance,  though 
no  man  can  be  more  humorous  when  he  chooses  to  indulge  in 
jokes.  He  is  a  man  of  versatile,  as  well  as  superior  talents. 
I  question  if  there  be  a  man  of  greater  or  more  varied  talents 
in  the  Cabinet:  there  is  certainly  none  of  greater  liberality  of 
opinion.  As  a  politician  he  is,  perhaps,  one  of  the  most  up- 
right and  straightforward  men  in  the  House.  He  bordered 
on  Radicalism,  and  never  shrunk  from  an  open  avowal  of  his 
opinions,  at  a  time  when  the  word  Reformer  was  considered 
Bynonimous  with  everything  that  was  low,  unprincipled,  and 
degraded.  He  now  points,  with  proud  exultation,  to  the  time 
when  he  and  his  friend  and  colleague  in  the  representation  of 
Westminster,  Sir  Francis  Burdett,  stood  almost  single-handed 
in  St.  Stephen's,  in  the  assertion  of  liberal  principles, — and 
when,  to  use  his  own  words,  his  politics  were  so  unpopular 
among  the  upper  classes,  that  his  personal  friends  would  have 
passed  him  in  St.  Jamcs's-street  without  ever  deigning  to 
give  him  a  nod  of  recognition.  The  circumstance  of  Sir 
John's  resigning  his  seat  for  Westminster,  and  at  the  same 
time  an  office  worth  £5,000  a-year,  when  he  conceived  it  his 
duty  to  vote  contrary  to  the  views  of  his  constituency,  is 
10* 


114  LORD  MORPF.TH. 

known  to  every  one,  and  affords  a  beautiful  illustration  of  his 
political  integrity  of  character. 

Lord  Moiu'KTii,  member  for  the  West  Riding  of  Yorkshire, 
and  Secretary  for  Ireland,  is  a  young  nobleman  of  considera- 
ble promise.  He  has  only  been  a  lew  years  in  Parliament, 
but  in  that  short  space  has  acquired  some  weight  and  distinc- 
tion in  the  House.  lie  is  a  man  of  a  cultivated  mind,  espe- 
cially in  what  is  called  light  and  elegant  literature.  lie 
used  to  contribute  to  The  Keepsake  and  other  annuals.  His 
contributions  were  chiefly  in  poetry,  and  were  written  with 
much  good  taste,  but  furnished  no  evidence  of  a  strong  mas- 
culine mind.  The  same  may  be  said  of  his  speeches  in  Par- 
liament. Nothing  can  be  more  classically  correct  than  his 
style,  particularly  when  his  speeches  have  been  previously 
studied,  which  they  almost  invariably  are ;  but  they  do  not 
afford  any  indication  of  genius,  or  even  of  a  vigorous  or  com- 
prehensive mind.  The  greatest  fault,  perhaps,  that  attaches 
to  his  parliamentary  efforts  is,  that  there  is  an  air  of  pedantry 
about  everything  he  says.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  a  few 
years  of  the  wear  and  tear  of  office  will  rid  him  of  this.  He 
is  a  pleasant  speaker,  and  there  is  much  to  admire  in  his  elo- 
cution. He  has  a  fine  voice,  always  speaks  audibly,  and  yet 
not  too  loud.  His  utterance  is  timed  with  much  good  judg- 
ment to  the  ear ;  but  he  is  monotonous.  He  always  speaks 
with  the  same  tone  of  voice,  whatever  be  the  subject.  I  never 
yet  knew  him  make  the  least  alteration  in  his  voice.  The 
most  trifling  and  most  important  subjects,  the  most  ludicrous 
and  most  solemn,  are  spoken  of  by  him  in  the  same  key  and 
in  the  same  tones.  He  appears  to  have  no  command  over  his 
voice — to  be  incapable  of  raising  or  lowering  it  as  the  subject 
requires.  He  occasionally  attempts  to  be  humorous;  but  cer- 
tainly with  very  limited  success.  On  one  or  two  occasions  I 
have  seen  him  attempt  a  pun  at  the  expense  of  suffering 
humanity.  When  Mr.  Sharman  Crawford,  one  of  the  most 
benevolent  men  in  the  house,  brought  the  subject  of  the  ex- 
treme distress  then  prevailing  in  the  county  of  Mayo  before 
the  House,  in  July  last,  and  asked  Lord  Morpeth,  as  Secretary 
for  Ireland,  whether  Government  had  taken  any  steps  to  re- 
lieve the  distress,  he  replied  that  he  could  assure  the  honour- 
able member,  that  the  proceedings  of  Government  had  not 
been  stationary  on  the  subject.  The  pun  was  in  extremely 
bad  taste,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  at  a  time  when,  as  Mr.  Craw- 
ford stated,  hundreds  of  poor  creatures  were  daily  dying  from 


LORD  MORPETH.  115 

sheer  want.  And  yet  it  were  doing  Lord  Morpeth  very  great 
injustice  were  any  one  to  infer  from  this  that  he  is  of  an  un- 
feeling mind.  He  is,  on  the  contrary,  a  man  of  a  kind  and 
generous  heart.  Few  men  are  more  capable  of  sympathizing 
with  his  fellow-creatures  when  in  distress;  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  remark  to  which  I  have  just  referred,  was  made 
thoughtlessly,  or  from  a  notion  that  there  was  something  ex- 
tremely clever  in  the  pun. 

Lord  Morpeth  is  a  nobleman  of  excellent  private  character, 
and  this  circumstance,  added  to  the  respectability  of  the  family 
to  whom  he  belongs,  goes  a  great  way  to  secure  that  attention 
and  respect  which  the  House  invariably  accords  to  him  when- 
ever he  addresses  it.  He  is  a  man  of  a  mild  disposition,  and 
is  gentlemanly  and  urbane  in  his  manners.  He  never  indulges 
in  personalities  or  vituperation  himself,  and  perhaps  there  is 
not  a  member  in  the  house  who  is  less  the  subject  of  per- 
sonalities or  abuse  on  the  part  of  others. 

I  have  said  that  Lord  Morpeth  is  a  man  of  a  cultivated 
rather  than  of  a  masculine  mind.  My  opinion,  however, 
is,  that  as  he  is  only  now  in  his  thirty-third  year,  his  mind 
may  expand  and  gain  in  vigour  while  it  loses  in  elegance.  I 
think  I  can  see  a  visible  improvement  in  this  respect  within 
the  lust  two  years.  His  speech  in  July  last,  on  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  Church  of  Ireland  and  Tithes  Bill,  though  not  by 
any  means  what  so  great  and  momentous  a  subject  would  have 
admitted  of,  certainly  exhibited  proofs  of  a  close  and  compre- 
hensive thinker.  Even  Sir  Robert  Peel  complimented  the 
noble  Lord  for  the  ability  he  displayed  on  that  occasion. 

In  person,  Lord  Morpeth  is  about  the  middle  stature.  He 
is  handsomely  made,  and  proud  of  his  person.  He  is  always 
smartly  dressed,  though  not  deserving  the  appellation  of  a  fop. 
His  hair  is  of  a  brown  complexion  and  his  face  pale.  He  has 
a  large  mouth,  and  his  under  lip  is  prominent  and  pendant. 
In  speaking,  he  uses  verly  little  action,  but  is  nearly  as  tame 
and  formal  in  his  gesture  as  he  is  monotonous  in  the  tones  of 
his  voice.  The  affectation  so  generally  visible  in  his  speeches, 
is  to  be  seen  in  his  conduct  even  when  taking  no  part  in  the 
proceedings.  One  practice  which  he  has,  and  which  Lord 
Stanley  also  had  when  he  sat  in  the  same  seat,  is  that  of  ex- 
tending his  feet  to  the  table  before  the  Speaker.  There  are 
several  other  little  airs  of  affectation  about  him  which  are 
more  easily  and  readily  seen  than  they  can  be  described. 

I  come  now  to  speak  of  a  young  nobleman  whom  I  consider 


116  LORD  HOWICK. 

to  be  decidedly  the  most  promising1  man  within  the  walls  of 
the  house.  I  allude  to  Lord  HOWICK,  Secretary  at  War,  and 
member  for  Northumberland.  Lord  Howick  is  the  eldest  son 
of  Earl  Grey,  and  inherits  much  of  the  stern  principle,  rigid 
integrity,  and  senatorial  talents  of  his  father.  On  the  question 
of  Negro  Emancipation,  his  opinions  were  equally  decided  and 
liberal.  They  were,  indeed,  much  more  liberal  than  were 
those  of  his  father's  Administration;  and  because,  in  18532,  he 
could  not  bring  over  Earl  Grey's  Ministry  to  the  adoption  of 
those  decided  measures  for  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves, 
which  he  conceived  both  the  justice  and  the  humanity  of  the 
case  demanded,  he,  rather  than  compromise  his  principles,  re- 
signed his  office  as  Under  Secretary  for  the  Colonies,  and 
ceased  to  be  a  member  of  his  father's  Government  At  that 
time,  Lord  Howick  was  considered  a  man  of  more  than  re- 
spectable talents ;  but  his  intellectual  resources  were  then 
only  beginning  to  develope  themselves.  In  his  new  situation 
as  a  member  of  Lord  Melbourne's  Administration,  he  acquitted 
himself  in  the  course  of  last  session,  in  a  manner  which  ex- 
cited the  admiration  of  every  member  in  the  house.  I  never 
knew  so  marked  an  improvement  in  any  man  in  so  short  a 
space  of  time.  His  speeches  generally  displayed  a  sound 
judgment,  great  acuteness,  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  sub- 
ject, and  a  masculine  mind.  He  is  withal  an  excellent  de- 
bater. He  is  ready  to  speak  on  any  question  at  a  moment's 
notice.  He  is  happy  in  reply.  I  have  known  him  on  various 
occasions  rise  to  answer  some  leading  member  of  the  Opposi- 
tion, the  moment  that  member  had  resumed  his  seat,  and  de- 
molish most  triumphantly  every  argument  which  the  other 
had  advanced.  On  such  occasions  I  have  seen  him  speak  for 
an  hour  and  a-half  or  two  hours,  and  yet  never,  during  all  that 
time,  hesitate  or  faulter  one  moment,  nor  appear  in  the  least 
degree  disconcerted.  His  style  is  fluent :  perhaps  it  is  so  to 
a  fault.  He  might  sometimes  express  his  ideas  with  more 
energy  and  effect  if  he  used  fewer  words.  Every  word,  how- 
ever, is  always  in  its  proper  place.  You  do  not  see  how  the 
most  fastidious  taste  could  improve  the  construction  of  his 
sentences. 

Without  being  personal  or  coarse,  Lord  Howick  treats  an 
opponent  with  great  severity.  1  am  not  sure  that  he  is  re- 
markable for  the  equability  of  his  temper.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
he  never  allows  any  slight  irritation  he  may  feel  to  get  the 
better  of  his  judgment.  He  will  never  be  an  orator,  in  the 


MR.  POULKTT  THOMSON.  117 

proper  acceptation  of  the  term.  His  voice  has  not  sufficient 
volume  or  variety  in  its  tones  for  the  higher  order  of  oratory. 
He  is  always  audible  in  every  part  of  the  house ;  but  there  is 
a  shrillness  about  his  voice,  and  a  monotony  in  its  tones,  which 
will  always,  to  some  extent,  impair  the  effect  of  his  best 
speeches.  He  is  one,  in  short,  of  that  class  of  speakers  who 
convince  the  judgment,  but  do  not  influence  the  passions.  In 
his  action,  when  addressing  the  house,  there  is  nothing  pecu- 
liar. His  gesticulation  is  not  violent.  He  gently  moves 
about  his  body,  as  he  looks  first  at  one  part  of  the  house  and 
then  at  another.  He  uses  his  arms  to  a  moderate  extent,  and 
occasionally  strikes  the  books  or  box  on  the  table  with  his  right 
hand. 

In  person.  Lord  Hovvick  is  tall  and  slender.  He  has  a  de- 
fect in  his  right  leg,  by  which  he  is  slightly  lame  in  his  walk, 
and  which  gives  him  somewhat  of  a  crouching  appearance 
when  he  is  addressing  the  house.  He  is  not  good-looking. 
His  countenance  is  pale,  and  his  person  altogether  has  an 
emaciated  appearance.  He  possesses  tolerable  health,  though 
any  one  who  did  not  know  him,  would  infer  from  his  look  that 
he  -was  labouring  under  serious  indisposition.  His  hair  is  of  a 
bright  brown  colour.  He  is  one  of  the  many  instances  in 
which  the  principles  of  Lavater  are  found  to  be  at  fault.  If 
his  face  have  nothing  absolutely  unintellectual  about  it,  it  is 
equally  certain,  that  no  physiognomist  would  give  him  credit 
for  the  strong  and  cultivated  mind  he  possesses.  Lord  Howick, 
is  only  in  his  thirty-third  year ;  and  as  he  has  risen  to  so  much 
distinction  during  the  nine  years  he  has  been  in  Parliament 
and  is  at  this  moment  rising  with  accelerated  rapidity,  there 
is  every  reason  to  believe  that  in  a  few  years  he  will  be  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  men  in  the  House  of  Commons. 

Mr.  POULETT  THOMSON,  member  for  Manchester,  and  Pre- 
sident of  the  Board  of  Trade,  is  chiefly  distinguished  for  his 
Free-trade  notions.  He  is  intimately  acquainted  with  com- 
mercial subjects,  and  is  tolerably  informed  on  most  political 
questions.  He  is  a  man  of  very  considerable  talents ;  but  his 
manner  of  delivery  greatly  mars  the  effect  of  his  speeches. 
He  invariably  speaks  in  a  drawling,  melancholy  sort  of  tone, 
as  if  labouring  under  great  dejection  of  spirits.  There  is  a 
twang  about  his  voice,  especially  at  the  conclusion  of  hie 
sentences,  of  which  it  were  impossible  to  convey  any  idea  by 
mere  description,  but  which  has  a  saddening  effect  on  his 
hearers.  His  enunciation  is,  notwithstanding,  very  distinct ; 


118  LORI)  PALMERSTON. 

and  though  he  does  not  speak  very  loudly,  he  is  generally 
audihle  in  all  parts  of  the  house.  His  personal  appearance  is 
of  a  pensive  serious  cast.  Nature,  I  think,  must  have  intended 
him  tor  the  pulpit.  He  uses  very  little  gesture  when  speak- 
ing, and  that  little  is  ;is  monotonous  as  are  the  tones  of  hrs 
voice.  He  slightly  moves  his  right  arm,  and  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  close  of  his  speech,  turns  his  face,  first  to  the 
members  of  the  Opposition  on  his  left  hand,  and  then  to  those 
on  his  right.  He  appears  to  most  advantage  in  a  set  speech, 
though  I  have  seen  some  of  his  replies  very  happy.  He  is  of 
a  mild  disposition.  He  never  indulges  in  coarse  abuse  or  per- 
sonal vituperation  of  an  opponent.  When  he  speaks  he  is 
always  listened  to  with  attention.  His  utterance  is  rapid, 
and  he  speaks  seemingly  with  much  ease.  His  language  is 
correct,  but  there  is  no  appearance  of  its  being  studiedly 
polished. 

In  person  Mr.  Poulett  Thomson  is  rather  above  the  mid- 
dle size,  and  of  a  somewhat  slender  make.  His  hair  is  dark 
— so  is  his  complexion.  He  rejoices  in  whiskers  of  goodly 
proportions.  His  nose  is  large,  and  of  a  form  approaching  to 
the  aquiline.  His  features  are  strongly  marked;  so  much  so 
that  any  one  who  had  seen  him  once  would  be  sure  to  recog- 
nize him  again.  He  is  about  forty  years  of  age.  He  is  al- 
ways plain  in  his  dress. 

Of  Lord  PALMERSTON,  Foreign  Secretary,  and  Member  for 
Tiverton,  I  have  but  little  to  say.  The  situation  he  fills  in 
the  Cabinet  gives  him  a  certain  degree  of  prominence  in  the 
eyes  of  the  country,  which  he  certainly  does  not  possess  in 
Parliament.  His  talents  are  by  no  means  of  a  high  order. 
Assuredly  they  would  never,  by  their  own  native  energy,  have 
raised  him  to  the  distinguished  position  in  the  councils  of  his 
Sovereign  in  which  a  variety  of  accidental  circumstances 
have  placed  him.  He  is  an  indifferent  speaker.  I  have 
sometimes  seen  him  acquit  himself,  when  addressing  the 
house,  in  a  very  creditable  manner;  but  he  often  stutters 
and  stammers  to  a  very  unpleasant  extent,  and  makes  alto- 
gether an  indifferent  exhibition.  His  voice  is  clear  and 
strong,  but  has  a  degree  of  harshness  about  it  which  makes  it 
grate  on  the  ear.  He  is  very  indolent.  He  is  also  very 
irregular  in  his  attendance  on  his  Parliamentary  duties,  and 
when  in  the  house,  is  by  no  means  active  in  defence  either 
of  his  principles  or  his  friends.  *  Scarcely  anything  calls  him 
up  except  a  regular  attack  on  himself,  or  on  the  way  in  which 


LORD  PALMERSTON.  119 

the  department  of  the  public  service  with  which  he  is  en- 
trusted, is  administered. 

In  person,  Lord  Palmerston  is  tall  and  handsome.  His  face 
is  round,  and  is  of  a  darkish  hue.  His  hair  is  black,  and  al- 
ways exhibits  proofs  of  the  skill  and  attention  of  the  perru- 
quier.  His  clothes  are  in  the  extreme  of  fashion.  He  is 
very  vain  of  his  personal  appearance,  and  is  generally  sup- 
posed to  devote  more  of  his  time  in  sacrificing  to  the  Graces 
than  is  consistent  with  the  duties  of  a  person  who  has  so 
much  to  do  with  the  destinies  of  Europe.  Hence  it  is  that 
the  Times  newspaper  has  fastened  on  him  the  soubriquet  of 
Cupid.  He  is  about  forty-five  years  of  age. 


TJO 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MEMBERS    OF   THE   GOVERNMENT  WHO   HAVE   NOT  SEATS  IN  THE 
CABINET. 

The  Attorney-General — The  Solicitor-General — The  Lord  Advo- 
cate— Mr.  Robert  Cutlar  Fergusson — Sir  George  Grey — Colonel 
Leith  Hay — Sir  Henry  Parnell — Mr.  Charles  Wood. 

SIR  JOHN  CAMPBELL,  the  Attorney-General,  and  one  of  the 
members  for  the  city  of  Edinburgh,  has  risen  very  rapidly 
into  notice  within  the  last  few  years.  For  a  considerable 
time  past  his  name  was  well  known  among  the  members  of 
the  English  bar,  but  was  but  seldom  before  the  public.  He 
is  a  man  of  great  weight  and  influence  in  the  House,  and  is 
daily  acquiring  additional  importance.  He  is  by  no  means  a 
fine  speaker.  His  voice  is  rough  and  husky,  and  yet  can 
hardly  be  said  to  bo  unpleasant.  He  uses  little  gesticulation, 
and  yet  there  is  an  energy  and  determination  in  his  manner, 
which  teJl  with  great  effect  on  the  House.  He  is  always  lis- 
tened to  with  attention.  He  has  much  honesty,  as  well  as 
energy  of  purpose.  There  is  nothing  Jesuitical  or  equivocal 
about  him.  He  fearlessly  expresses  the  convictions  of  his 
mind.  There  is  no  reserve  about  him.  His  style  is  vigorous 
and  plain;  it  is  correct,  without  being  polished.  What  he 
says  is  always  to  the  point,  and  there  is  no  mistaking  his 
meaning.  He  seldom  makes  long  speeches ;  they  are  almost 
invariably  short,  but  pithy.  There  is  often  more  matter  in  a 
speech  of  his  which  occupies  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  the  de- 
livery, than  in  speeches  of  many  other  honourable  members 
which  take  six  times  that  space  to  deliver  them. 

Sir  John  Campbell  still  retains  much  of  the  Scottish  ac- 
cent, though  he  has  been  upwards  of  a  quarter  of  a  century 
in  England.  Any  one  who  hears  him  speak  five  sentences, 
would  perceive  at  once  that  he  is  a  Scotchman.  He  is  about 
fifty  years  of  age.  In  person  he  is  of  the  middle  size.  He 
is  of  what  is  called  a  firm  make.  I  should  take  him  to  be  a 
man  of  great  physical  strength.  He  always  dresses  plainly, 
sometimes  with  an  appearance  of  carelessness.  His  whole 
aspect  is  what,  in  his  own  country,  would  be  called  "  uncouth." 


MR.  ROLFE — MR.  JOHN  ARCHIBALD  MURRAY.  121 

His  hair  is  of  a  light  colour,  and  his  countenance  has  a  slight 
tinge  of  ruddiness  about  it.  His  eyes  have  a  watery  appear- 
ance. He  is  short-sighted,  and  uses  an  eye-glass. 

Though  there  is  much  energy,  both  of  matter  and  manner, 
in  what  Sir  John  Campbell  says,  he  never  indulges  in  per- 
sonalities, and  he  is  seldom  made  the  subject  of  vituperation 
on  the  part  of  others.  I  never  knew  him  excite  the  bile  of 
the' Tories  so  much,  or  be  so  much  abused  by  them,  as  when, 
last  session,  in  the  course  of  some  of  the  discussions  on  the 
Municipal  Corporation  Reform  Bill,  he  represented  the  free- 
men of  corporations  as  the  most  debased  and  worthless  class 
of  men  within  his  Majesty's  dominions.  The  Tories,  on  that 
occasion,  discharged  the  vials  of  their  wrath  on  Sir  John's 
devoted  head,  without  measure  and  without  mercy.  In  his 
attendance  on  his  parliamentary  duties  he  is  very  exem- 
plary. 

Of  Mr.  ROLFE,  the  Solicitor-General,  and  member  for 
Penryn,  little  need  be  said.  His  name  is  very  little  known 
to  the  public,  and  he  speaks  very  seldom  in  the  House.  He 
never  speaks  when  he  can  help  it,  and  then  as  shortly  as 
possible.  His  talents  are  not  above  mediocrity :  as  a  speaker, 
he  is  below  it.  His  voice  is  not  very  pleasant,  and  his  man- 
ner is  generally  awkward.  There  is  good  sense  in  what  he 
says;  but  nothing  approaching  to  originality  or  eloquence, 
in  person,  he  is  rather  short  and  stout.  He  is  light-haired, 
and  of  an  angular  face.  Accidental  circumstances,  and  not 
any  merit  he  possesses,  raised  him  to  his  present  situation. 
As  a  Chancery  lawyer  he  is  a  man  of  some  distinction.  His 
age  is  about  forty.  He  has  been  in  Parliament  since  the 
passing  of  the  Reform  Bill  in  1832. 

Mr.  JOHN  ARCHIBALD  MURRAY,  the  Lord  Advocate  of  Scot- 
land, and  member  for  Leith,  was,  for  many  years  before  he 
entered  Parliament,  one  of  the  most  popular  political  men  in 
Scotland.  He  was  one  of  a  celebrated  trio,  whose  names 
will  go  down  to  posterity  as  men  who  made  a  bold  and  reso- 
lute stand  against  Toryism  in  the  northern  part  of  the  empire 
when  in  its  most  triumphant  state,  and  when  to  profess  liberal 
opinions  was  not  only  the  sure  way  to  put  an  extinguisher  on 
all  hopes  of  promotion  at  the  Scotch  bar,  of  which  he  and  the 
other  two — Francis  Jeffrey  and  John  Clark* — were  members, 

*  These  two  were  afterwards,  when  Liberal  principles  obtained 
the  ascendancy  in  the  councils  of  the  King,  raised  to  the  rank  of 
Judges. 

11 


122  MR.  ROBERT  CUTI-AR  FERCJUSSON. 

but  also  to  exclude  them,  in  a  great  measure,  from  respecta- 
ble society.  These  three  were  the  chief  agents,  both  by  their 
speeches  and  writings,  in  giving  that  impulse  to  liberal 
opinions  in  Scotland,  which  in  the  burghs  so  triumphantly 
bore  down  all  the  opposition  of  the  Tories  at  the  last  elec- 
tion. 

The  Lord  Advocate  is  now  considerably  advanced  in  life. 
He  is  about  fifty  years  of  age.  In  stature  he  is  somewhat 
above  the  middle  size.  He  is  stoutly  and  firmly  made,  but 
cannot  be  called  corpulent.  He  appears  to  have  an  unusually 
strong  constitution,  considering  his  years.  His  hair  is  of  a 
light  colour,  and  his  complexion  fair:  he  is  of  a  full  round 
face.  His  countenance  is  indicative  of  that  straightforward- 
ness, energy,  and  decision  of  mind,  which  are  the  leading 
attributes  of  his  character.  He  is  not  a  fine  or  eloquent 
speaker ;  but  he  is  one  whom  you  can  at  all  times  listen  to 
with  pleasure.  He  always  appears  master  of  his  subject,  and 
it  does  not  seem  to  cost  him  an  effort  to  deliver  his  sentiments. 
He  has  no  pretensions  to  originality  or  genius;  but  he  is  a 
man  of  more  than  respectable  talents.  He  always  takes  the 
common  sense  view  of  a  subject,  and  never  fails  to  make 
himself  clearly  understood.  His  style  is  plain,  but  vigorous, 
and  he  always  speaks  to  the  point.  There  are  few  speakers 
in  the  house  who  give  an  equal  quantity  of  well-reasoned 
matter  in  the  same  space  of  time.  He  never  makes  long 
speeches,  nor  does  he  address  the  House  on  other  than  sub- 
jects immediately  connected  with  his  office. 

Mr.  ROBERT  CUTLA.R  FERGUSSON,  the  Judge  Advocate,  and 
member  for  Kircudbright,  has  for  many  years  exercised  con- 
siderable influence  in  the  house.  He  is  not  a  man  of  first- 
rate  talent,  though  far  above  mediocrity.  He  is  popular  both 
in  the  house  and  the  country.  His  popularity,  however, 
owes  more  to  his  past  history,  and  the  side  he  generally  es- 
pouses in  politics,  than  to  anything  brilliant  about  him.  His 
adherence  to  liberal  principles  in  early  life,  both  in  this  coun- 
try and  in  India,  during  times  when  those  principles  were 
anything  but  popular,  is  not,  and  ought  not  to  be,  forgotten 
by  the  Reformers  of  the  present  day.  The  zeal  and  energy 
he  evinced  in  the  cause  of  the  Poles  during  their  struggle,  a 
few  years  since,  with  the  Northern  Autocrat,  did  much  to 
render  him  popular  in  the  country.  His  attachment,  how- 
ever, to  liberal  principles  has  diminished,  as  has  been  so  often 
found  in  the  case  of  others,  with  his  accession  to  office.  During 


SIR  GEORGE  GREY.  123 

the  last  session  I  have  repeatedly  heard  him  defending  men 
and  measures,  in  whose  favour,  before  he  joined  the  Govern- 
ment, he  would  have  been  ashamed  to  utter  a  syllable. 

He  is  a  respectable  speaker,  which  is  the  most  that  can  be 
said  about  his  oratorical  powers.  He  speaks  with  ease  and 
with  considerable  fluency.  His  style  is  vigorous,  and  his 
matter  always  to  the  point.  Take  him  unawares,  and  he  does 
not  appear  to  much  advantage  in  reply ;  but  when  he  knows 
beforehand  the  line  of  argument  or  attack  which  an  opponent 
is  to  take,  he  prepares  himself  for  his  task,  and  acquits  him- 
self in  a  very  creditable  manner.  His  voice  has  something  of 
a  melancholy  tone  about  it:  it  reminds  me,  in  some  measure, 
of  the  sound  emitted  by  a  muffled  drum.  His  action  is  not 
violent ;  nor  can  it  be  said  to  be  graceful.  His  appearance 
altogether  has  a  great  deal  of  sternness  about  it.  His  hair  is 
white;  part  of  his  head  is  slightly  bald.  He  wears  large 
whiskers,  which  heighten  the  sullen  aspect  of  his  countenance. 
He  is  rather  above  the  middle  size,  of  a  firm  make,  without 
being  corpulent.  His  advanced  years,  and  long  residence  in 
the  East,  have  left  their  traces  in  the  shape  of  various  slight 
wrinkles  in  his  face.  He  is  nearly  sixty  years  of  age;  but  ap- 
pears to  be  in  excellent  health,  and  of  a  strong  constitution. 
He  used  to  speak  a  good  deal  in  the  house ;  but  he  has  not 
spoken  often  since  his  appointment  to  office.  When  he  does 
speak,  it  is  principally  on  questions  immediately  connected 
with  his  own  office,  or  with  Scottish  affairs.  In  matters  con- 
nected with  his  own  country — he  is  a  Scotchman — he  takes 
a  great  deal  of  interest.  Those  who  recollect  the  animation 
and  energy  with  which,  some  years  ago,  he  proclaimed  the 
wrongs  of  Poland,  and  the  withering  denunciations  which  he 
hurled  at  the  head  of  their  oppressors,  cannot  but  regret  that, 
since  he  joined  the  Government,  his  voice  has  been  mute  on 
these  points.  He  is  a  striking  illustration  of  the  great  differ- 
ence between  a  member  out  of  office  and  in  office. 

Sir  GEORGE  GREY,  member  for  Devonport,  and  Under 
Secretary  for  the  Colonies,  is  a  gentleman  of  remarkably  mild 
and  engaging  manners.  His  office  obliges  him  to  speak  pretty 
often  in  the  House ;  but  he  never  volunteers  a  speech,  in  other 
words,  never  speaks  when  not  officially  called  on  to  do  so. 
He  speaks  with  great  ease,  and  his  manner,  without  being  at- 
tractive, is  pleasant  enough.  There  is  much  good  sense 
in  what  he  says,  and  he  confines  himself  strictly  to  the  point 


124  COLONEL  LKITH  II  \Y. 

at  issue.  He  makes  no  effort  at  display :  on  the  contrary,  you 
see  in  every  word  ho  utters,  as  well  as  in  his  simple  and  un- 
assuming manners,  the  inherent  modesty  of  his  character. 

Sir  tii-orgo  is  now  in  his  thirty-sixth  year.  In  person  he  is 
rather  above  the  middle  size,  and  well  made.  He  is  dark- 
haired,  and  of  a  clear  healthy-looking  complexion.  Yon  can 
read  good-nature  in  his  face.  He  is  decidedly  good-looking: 
his  features  are  regular,  and  conciliatory  in  an  unusual  de- 
gree, and  his  uniform  conduct  in  the  house  only  serves  to  con- 
firm the  favourable  impression  which  he  invariably  makes  on 
the  mind  of  a  stranger.  He  is  much  esteemed  by  men  of 
every  grade  of  political  opinion  in  the  house. 

Colonel  LEITH  HAY,  member  for  the  Elgin  district  of 
Burghs,  and  Clerk  of  the  Ordnance,  is  a  man  of  considerable 
weight  in  the  house,  though  he  speaks  but  very  seldom.  Like 
Sir  George  Grey,  he  only  speaks  when  compelled  to  it  by  the 
situation  he  holds.  This  is  to  be  regretted,  for  not  only  is  he 
listened  to  with  much  attention  when  he  does  address  the 
house,  but  he  acquits  himself  very  creditably  as  a  public 
speaker.  He  is  one  of  those  who  professed  liberal  principles 
at  a  time  when  they  were  most  unpopular;  and  he  did  so  at 
great  personal  sacrifice.  He  distinguished  himself  in  the 
Peninsular  war,  and  but  for  his  political  principles — Toryism 
being  then  in  the  ascendant — would  have  doubtless  obtained 
that  promotion  in  the  army  to  which  distinguished  bravery 
and  great  merits  as  an  officer  entitled  him.  His  father,  the 
venerable  General  Hay  of  Rannes,  is  now  the  patriarch  of 
liberal  principles  in  Scotland.  He  is  upwards  of  ninety  years 
of  age.  He  also  crowned  himself  with  undying  honours  by 
his  gallantry  and  military  skill  in  the  Peninsular  war.  The 
father  is  worthy  of  the  son,  and  the  son  of  the  father. 

On  the  meeting  of  the  Session  of  1834,  Colonel  Leith  Hay 
did  one  of  the  noblest  things  I  ever  witnessed.  On  the  second 
night  of  that  session,  when  the  question  was  about  to  be  solved, 
which  of  the  Irish  members  (as  affirmed  by  Mr.  Hill,  member 
for  Hull)  had  played  the  traitor  by  admitting,  while  he 
violently  opposed  the  Coercion  Bill,  that  that  measure  was 
indispensably  necessary  for  the  peace  of  Ireland,  and  that  he 
only  opposed  it  to  please  his  constituents, — on  that  occasion, 
when  Lord  Althorp  was  badgered  by  Mr.  Shiel  to  give  up  his 
authority  for  the  statement,  and  when  Mr.  Shiel  plainly  inti- 
mated to  his  Lordship,  that  if  he  did  not  give  the  name  of  his 


SIR  HENRY  PARNELL.  125 

informant,  he  would  hold  him  personally  responsible, — Colonel 
Leith  Hay  rose  up,  and  in  the  most  energetic  yet  dignified 
manner  said,  addressing  himself  to  Mr.  Shiel,  that  precisely 
the  same  statement  as  that  made  to  Lord  Althorp  had  been 
communicated  to  him,  and  that  he  would  not,  any  more  than 
the  noble  Lord,  give  up  his  authority,  but  would  hold  himself 
personally  responsible.  I  never  yet  knew  anything  produce  a 
greater  effect  on  the  house.  There  was  not  an  honourable 
member  in  it  but  deeply  felt  for  Lord  Althorp  at  the  time ; 
and  when  they  saw  him  in  a  great  measure  relieved  from  the 
embarrassing  situation  in  which  his  refusal  to  betray  the  confi- 
dence reposed  in  him  by  a  friend,  had  placed  him  by  the 
generous  and  well-timed  interposition  on  the  part  of  the  gal- 
lant Colonel,  a  murmur  of  suppressed  admiration  of  the  con- 
duct of  the  latter  was  heard  in  every  part  of  the  house,  and  was 
with  difficulty  repressed  even  by  the  strangers  in  the  gallery. 

Colonel  Leith  Hay  is  about  fifty  years  of  age.  In  person 
he  is  tall  and  well-proportioned.  His  hair  is  dark,  and  hia 
complexion  approaches  to  ruddiness.  His  features  are  a  true 
index  to  his  character;  they  indicate  great  energy  of  mind 
and  firmness  of  purpose.  He  is  one  of  the  most  handsome  and 
gentlemanly-looking  men  in  the  house ;  and  his  manners  are 
in  accordance  with  his  appearance.  He  is  courteous  and  kind 
in  all  the  relations  both  of  public  and  private  life.  He  has 
acquired  some  distinction  as  a  literary  man  ;  his  Narrative  of 
the  Peninsular  War,  published  a  few  years  ago,  in  two  vo- 
lumes, met  with  a  favourable  reception  from  the  public. 

Sir  HENRY  PARNELL,  member  for  Dundee,  and  Paymaster 
of  the  Forces,  is  a  gentleman  whose  name  has  not  been  much 
before  the  public  for  the  last  twelve  or  eighteen  months ;  but 
it  was  so  prominently  eo  for  many  years  before  that  time,  and 
his  services  in  the  cause  of  Reform  have  been  so  great,  that  it 
were  unpardonable  to  pass  him  over  in  silence.  It  was  in  a 
great  measure  to  the  success  of  his  motion  in  1830,  on  the 
propriety  of  inquiring  into  the  state  of  the  Civil  List,  that  the 
Wellington  Government  of  that  period  owed  its  dissolution. 
Sir  Henry  had  before  been  popular  in  consequence  of  his  de- 
cidedly liberal  opinions,  and  his  respectable  talents ;  but  the 
result  of  that  motion,  and  the  effects  which  followed,  raised 
him  to  a  distinction,  and  gave  him  an  importance  both  in  the 
house  and  the  country,  which  he  had  not  before  acquired.  It 
paved  the  way  for  his  appointment  to  an  important  situation 
in  the  Government. 

11* 


1^6  Sill  HENRY  PARNELL. 

Sir  Henry  is  a  respectable  but  by  no  means  a  superior  speaker. 
He  has  a  tine  clear  voice,  but  ho  never  varies  the  key  in 
which  he  commences.  He  is,  however,  always  audible  in  all 
parts  of  the  house.  His  utterance  is  well-timed,  and  he  ap- 
pears to  speak  with  great  ease.  He  delivers  his  speeches  in 
much  the  same  way  as  if  lie  were  repeating  some  piece  of 
writing  he  had  committed  to  his  memory  in  his  schoolboy 
years.  His  gesticulation  is  a  great  deal  too  tame  for  his 
speeches  to  produce  any  effect.  He  stands  stock  still,  except 
when  he  occasionally  raises  and  lets  fall  his  right  hand.  Even 
this  he  does  in  a  very  gentle  manner.  What  he  excels  in  is 
giving  a  plain,  luminous  statement  of  complex  financial  mat- 
ters. In  this  respect  he  has  no  superior;  I  doubt  if  he  has  an 
equal  in  the  house.  He  fully  understands  all  such  questions; 
and  has  got  the  very  rare  talent  of  making  his  own  views  of  a 
subject  as  clear  to  others  as  they  are  to  his  own  mind.  His 
work  on  Taxation  and  Finance,  published  four  years  ago, 
must  have  convinced  many  thousands  of  this.  It  is  by  far  the 
clearest  and  most  comprehensive  ever  written  on  the  subject. 

Sir  Henry,  as  I  have  already  intimated,  has  spoken  very 
little  of  late.  As  far  as  I  can  recollect,  he  did  not  open  his 
mouth  more  than  once  in  the  house  all  last  Session;  and  then 
only  for  a  few  minutes :  his  reputation  is  suffering  in  conse- 
quence. Politicians  and  senators,  above  all  other  classes  of 
men,  ought  to  do  something  to  keep  up  their  reputations ;  if 
indolent — if  they  do  not  appear  with  some  frequency  before 
the  public,  they  are  sure  to  be  all  but  completely  forgotten. 
They  are  differently  circumstanced  from  authors;  an  author 
may  earn  an  imperishable  reputation  by  one  work  of  merit, 
because  that  work,  continuing  to  be  read  for  a  long  period  of 
years,  perpetuates,  of  course,  the  name  and  reputation  of  the 
writer ;  but  it  requires  a  series  of  good  speeches  and  active 
exertions  to  procure  distinction  as  a  politician  or  senator;  and 
as  these  speeches  and  exertions  are  of  necessity  but  of  tempo- 
rary interest,  it  requires  a  perseverance  in  the  same  course  of 
frequent  speaking  and  unremitting  action,  to  maintain  the 
reputation  which  has  been  so  acquired. 

Sir  Henry  is  gentlemanly  in  his  appearance ;  so  is  he  also 
in  reality.  His  manners  are  highly  courteous.  His  stature 
is  of  the  middle  size,  rather  inclining  to  stoutness.  His  com- 
plexion is  fair;  his  features  are  regular,  with  a  mild  expres- 
sion about  them;  and  his  hair  is  pure  white.  He  dresses 
with  much  neatness,  but  not  in  the  extreme  of  fashion.  His 
age  is  sixty-one. 


MR.  CHARLES  WOOD.  127 

Mr.  CHARLES  WOOD,  member  for  Halifax,  and  Secretary  to 
the  Board  of  Admiralty,  took  a  very  active  part  in  the  begin- 
ning of  last  Session  in  opposing  the  Government  of  Sir  Ro- 
bert Peel ;  since  then  he  has  spoken  but  little.  He  is  a  young 
man,  being  only  on  his  thirty-fifty  year.  He  is  married  to 
the  thirteenth  and  youngest  daughter  of  Earl  Grey,  which 
circumstance,  and  his  being  Secretary  to  the  Board  of  Trea- 
sury from  1832  to  1834,  gave  him  a  good  deal  of  importance, 
during  those  two  years,  in  the  house.  He  is  whipper-in  to 
the  Liberal  party ;  but  he  is  not  half  so  efficient  in  that  office 
as  Mr.  Holmes  was  when  he  performed  the  same  office  to  the 
Tories.  It  is  related  of  Mr.  Holmes  that  when  he  saw  any 
of  his  party  about  to  quit  the  house  immediately  before  some 
important  division  was  expected  to  take  place,  he  used  to 
seize  them  by  the  collar  when  going  out  of  the  lobby,  pro- 
vided they  were  persons  with  whom  he  was  on  familiar  terms, 
and  by  mere  physical  force  compel  them  to  return  to  their 
parliamentary  duties.  His  experience  had  by  this  time  taught 
him,  that  the  promises  of  honourable  members  to  return  in 
five  or  ten  minutes,  or  any  other  short  period  they  might 
mention,  were  not  always  to  be  depended  on ;  and  therefore 
he  very  wisely  acted  on  the  maxim — "  a  bird  in  hand  is  worth 
two  in  the  bush."  Mr.  Wood  had  hard  work  of  it  at  the 
commencement  of  last  Session  to  keep  the  Liberals  to  their 
posts.  The  small  majority  of  ten  on  the  question  of  the 
Speakership,  and  the  still  smaller  one  of  seven  on  that  of  the 
amendment  to  the  address  in  answer  to  the  King's  speech, 
were  an  earnest  to  him  that  the  office  was  to  be  no  sine- 
cure. 

Mr.  Wood  is  a  good  speaker.  He  has  a  fine,  deep-toned 
musical  voice ;  but  he  sometimes  mismanages  its  intonations. 
The  effect,  too,  is  generally  in  some  degree  impaired  by  a  too 
rapid  utterance.  He  speaks  with  great  fluency ;  he  never 
hesitates  or  is  at  a  loss,  either  for  ideas,  or  for  words  where- 
with to  express  them.  His  language  is  elegant ;  it  is  evi- 
dently highly  laboured  when  he  makes  a  set  speech.  He  is 
happy  in  reply.  He  is  unquestionably  a  man  of  considerable 
talents.  Perhaps  a  more  accurate  idea  of  his  character  will 
be  conveyed  by  saying  he  is  clever.  He  wants  depth  of 
thought  and  vigour  of  expression.  His  manner  is  affected. 
The  usual  position  in  which  he  puts  himself  when  addressing 
the  House  is  to  fold  his  arms  on  his  breast,  and  stand  up  as 
erect  as  if  some  one  were  going  to  measure  his  personal 


128  MR.  CHARLES  WOOD. 

height  He  is  tall  and  well-made,  though  somewhat  slender. 
His  face  is  angular,  his  features  are  regular,  and  his  com- 
plexion of  a  rather  darkish  hue.  The  colour  of  his  hair  is  a 
deep  brown.  He  is  usually  rather  foppish  in  his  dress. 

There  are  several  other  members  who  are  connected  with 
the  Government,  but  their  names  do  not  come  with  sufficient 
frequency  before  the  public  as  speakers  in  the  House,  to  en- 
title them  to  notice. 


MR.  ALDERMAN  WOOD.  129 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  METROPOLITAN  MEMBERS. 

Mr.  Alderman  Wood— Mr.  Grote — Mr.  Crawford— Mr.  Pattison — 
Sir  Francis  Burdett — Colonel  Evans — Sir  Samuel  Whalley — 
Mr.  Henry  Lytton  Bulvver — Mr.  Thomas  Duncombe — Mr. 
Thomas  Wakley — Dr.  Lushington — Mr.  Clay — Mr.  Daniel 
Whittle  Harvey — Mr.  Sheriff  Humphrey — Mr.  Tennyson — Mr. 
Hawes. 

BEFORE  the  passing  of  the  Reform  Bill  the  metropolitan 
members  were  only  six  in  number;  four  of  these  were  re- 
turned by  the  Liverymen  of  the  city :  the  other  two  by  West- 
minster. They  are  now  sixteen  in  number;  four  are  still 
returned  by  the  City,  and  two  by  Westminster — the  qualifica- 
tion being  a  £10  rental — and  the  other  are  chosen  by  the 
burghs  in  the  vicinity. 

Mr.  ALDERMAN  WOOD  is  not  only  the  oldest  of  the  City 
members,  but  he  is  the  oldest  of  the  metropolitan  representa- 
tives. His  age  is  nearly  seventy.  He  is  a  man  of  venerable 
appearance ;  his  countenance  is  open  and  cheerful.  His  head 
is  in  a  great  measure  bald ;  what  hair  there  is  on  it  is  white 
as  snow.  His  features  are  small,  and  his  complexion  is  fair. 
There  are  a  few  wrinkles  in  his  face,  but  he  looks  well  for  a 
man  of  his  years.  In  his  earlier  years  he  used  to  speak  often 
in  Parliament;  and  in  the  defence  and  protection  of  Queen 
Caroline,  he  evinced  extraordinary  zeal  within  as  well  as 
without  the  walls  of  St.  Stephen's;  but  for  some  years  past 
he  has  spoken  but  very  little.  He  is  still,  however,  as  liberal 
in  his  principles  as  ever,  and  is  as  much  attached  to  them  as 
at  any  period  when  his  name  was  so  frequently  before  the 
public. 

Mr.  Alderman  Wood  is  but  an  indifferent  speaker.  His 
voice  has  a  harsh,  grating  sound,  the  bad  effect  of  which  is 
increased  by  its  monotony.  Its  tones  are  the  same  whenever 
he  speaks,  or  on  whatever  subjects  he  expresses  his  senti- 
ments. Whether  he  speaks  in  the  House  of  Commons,  on 
the  hustings  in  Guildhall,  in  the  Common  Council-room,  or  at 
a  Lord  Mayor's  dinner — whether  the  subject  be  one  in  which 


130  MR.  GROTE. 

the  destinies  of  the  world  are  involved,  or  it  be  only  the  pro- 
visions of  a  bill  he  proposes  to  bring  in  to  permit  police  offi- 
cers to  take  up  dogs  in  the  hot  weather,  when  supposed  to  be 
mad, — Mr.  Alderman  Wood's  voice  is  Mr.  Alderman  Wood's 
voice — the  same  as  it  ever  was ;  the  same,  I  may  add,  as  it 
ever  will  be.  His  manner  has  something  of  awkwardness 
about  it ;  and  his  language  is  plain,  sometimes  not  very  cor- 
rect. I  doubt  if  he  ever  stumbled  on  half  a  dozen  eloquent 
sentences  in  the  whole  course  of  his  lengthened  public  life. 
He  has  no  pretensions  to  talent:  it  is  the  liberality  of  his 
principles  and  his  consistent  conduct,  not  his  abilities,  that 
have  recommended  him  to  the  City  of  London,  and  induced  it 
to  choose  him  for  one  of  its  representatives. 

Mr.  GROTE  is  another  of  the  City  members.  His  princi- 
ples are  decidedly  liberal :  they  are  essentially  the  same  as 
those  of  Mr.  Alderman  Wood.  He  is  a  man  of  very  consi- 
derable talent,  and  occasionally  makes  long  and  effective 
speeches  in  Parliament.  He  is  much  respected  by  men  of 
all  parties,  and  is  always  listened  to  with  great  attention  in 
the  house.  For  some  years  past  he  has  brought  forward  a 
motion  every  Session  for  Vote  by  Ballot.  His  speeches  on 
these  occasions  occupy  from  two  to  three  hours  in  the  de- 
livery; and  in  every  instance  have  displayed  a  strong  and 
masculine,  as  well  as  highly  cultivated  mind.  I  have  seldom 
heard  more  strictly  argumentative  speeches  delivered,  on  any 
question,  in  the  house.  Everything  that  can  be  said,  in 
favour  of  the  Ballot,  will  be  found  in  Mr.  Grote's  speeches  on 
the  subject,  and  found  put  in  the  most  forcible  manner.  From 
the  growing  numbers  in  favour  of  the  Ballot,  there  is  not  a 
doubt  it  will  be  speedily  carried.  At  this  moment  there  is  a 
majority  of  members  in  the  House  in  favour  of  it,  and  the 
reason  why  it  has  not  been  carried  before  now  is,  that  other 
matters  have  always  clashed  with  it  at  the  time  the  question 
has  been  brought  forward. 

Mr.  Grote  is  in  person  about  the  middle  size.  His  hair  is  a 
jet  black,  and  his  complexion  dark.  His  countenance  indi- 
cates thought  and  reserve,  but  is  by  no  means  stern  or  un- 
pleasant. His  voice  is  not  strong,  but  his  clear  and  distinct 
enunciation  makes  him  heard  in  every  part  of  the  house.  He 
does  not  aim  at  effect.  He  seeks  to  convince  his  audience  by 
reason  and  argument,  rather  than  to  bring  them  over  to  his 
views  by  any  of  the  clap-trap  oratorical  expedients  so  often 
resorted  to.  He  is  a  pleasant  and  easy  speaker.  He  is  never 


MR.  WILLIAM  CRAWFORD — MR.  JAMES  PATTISON.         131 

at  a  loss  for  words  to  express  his  ideas;  nor,  which  is  a 
greater  matter  still,  is  he  ever  at  a  loss  for  ideas.  The  fact 
is,  that  he  very  seldom  speaks — and  then  he  is  very  brief — 
without  having  prepared  his  speeches  before-hand.  When  he 
intends  making  a  long  speech  on  any  particular  subject,  he 
writes  it  out  at  full  length  and  commits  to  memory.  He  is 
in  his  forty-first  year. 

Mr.  WILLIAM  CRAWFORD  is  another  of  the  City  of  London 
representatives.  He  is  intimately  conversant  with  commer- 
cial subjects,  especially  with  those  connected  with  India, 
where  he  resided  for  many  years,  and  where  he  realized  a 
handsome  fortune.  He  is  a  tolerable  speaker,  but  scarcely 
ever  opens  his  mouth  in  the  house.  He  is  a  man  of  respect- 
able talents.  His  principles  are  Liberal,  without  being  Radi- 
cal. He  does  not  go  quite  so  far  on  many  questions  as  his 
colleagues,  Mr.  Alderman  Wood  and  Mr.  Grote.  In  person 
he  is  about  the  middle  size ;  he  is  of  a  full  make  without 
being  corpulent.  His  hair  is  of  a  slightly  dark  colour.  His 
complexion  is  dark,  and  his  countenance  has  an  intelligent 
expression.  His  forehead  is  large  and  well  developed,  and 
his  features  are  regular.  He  is  a  pleasant  looking  man ;  his 
age  is  upwards  of  fifty. 

The  other  member  for  the  City  of  London  is  Mr.  JAMES 
PATTISON,  Governor  of  the  Bank  of  England.  He  is  now  in 
his  fifty-ninth  year,  but  never  was  in  Parliament  till  returned 
in  March  last  for  the  City.  He  has  not  yet  spoken  in  Par- 
liament, nor  is  it  likely  he  ever  will ;  for  he  is  not  only  a  bad 
speaker,  or  rather  no  speaker  at  all,  but  he  has  the  good  sense 
to  know  it  I  heard  him  on  one  occasion  attempt  to  speak  in 
public,  but  he  made  sad  work  of  it.  There  was  not  only  no 
eloquence  in  what  he  said,  but  there  was  not  even  tolerable 
grammar.  Either  no  idea  occurred  to  his  mind,  or  if  they 
did,  he  could  not  find  words  to  express  them.  If,  however, 
his  speech,  if  so  it  might  be  called,  was  "not  "  sweet,"  it  had 
certainly  the  merit  of  being  "  short." 

Mr.  Pattison,  in  his  personal  appearance,  reminds  me  of  an 
English  farmer  of  the  old  school.  He  is  tall  and  corpulent:  he 
is  unquestionably  the  most  "  big-bellied  man"  in  the  house. 
If  he  is  not  distinguished  for  his  weight,  morally  speaking,  in 
Parliament,  he  is  certainly  a  man  of  great  weight  in  the 
physical  sense  of  the  term.  He  always  dresses  with  great 
plainness.  He  invariably  wears  knee  inexpressibles  of  a 
sandy  colour,  with  gaiters  of  the  same  complexion,  and  indeed 


132  SIR  FRANCIS  BURDETT. 

of  the  same  cloth.  There  is  something  remarkably  "jolly" — 
I  know  not  a  more  significant  word — in  the  expression  of  his 
countenance.  It  is  full  of  good-nature.  He  always  looks 
pleased  himself,  and  wishes  to  see  every  body  in  the  same 
happy  mood.  His  countenance  is  not  a  fair  index  of  his  in- 
tellect. There  is  nothing  intelligent  about  it;  but  lie  is  a 
man  of  very  extensive  information,  and  of  a  sound  judgment. 
In  fact,  his  holding  the  situation  of  Governor  of  the  Bank  of 
England,  is  of  itself  a  proof  of  this. 

I  now  come  to  the  members  for  Westminster, — Sir  Francis 
Burdett  and  Colonel  Evans.  • 

Sir  FRANCIS  BURDETT  has  been  one  of  the  representatives 
for  Westminster  since  1807.  For  many  years  he  stood  al- 
most alone  the  advocate  of  Liberal  principles,  and  submitted 
not  only  to  be  excluded  from  aristocratic  society,  but  to  heavy 
fines  and  imprisonment;  rather  than  suppress  his  opinions. 
There  is  not  living  at  this  moment  a  man,  either  in  or  out  of 
Parliament,  who,  all  things  considered,  has  made  such  great 
and  numerous  sacrifices  for  his  political  opinions,  as  Sir  Fran- 
cis has  done.  For  many  years  he  was  in  one  sense  an  hourly 
martyr  for  his  principles;  but  a  great  change  has  come  over 
the  spirit  of  his  politics.  There  is  no  more  similarity  between 
the  Sir  Francis  Burdett  of  1835,  and  the  Sir  Francis  Burdett 
of  1815,  than  there  is  between  light  and  darkness.  He  still 
makes  a  profession  of  Liberal  principles,  but  it  is  only  profes- 
sion ;  the  substance  or  reality  is  wanting.  He  affected  to  feel 
no  confidence  in  the  Government  of  Sir  Robert  Peel  and  yet 
refused  to  take  a  single  step  towards  its  overthrow.  Nay, 
when  his  constituents  asked  him  to  oppose  it,  he  peremptorily 
refused,  and  plainly  told  them  that  any  such  opposition  would 
be  factious.  In  the  single  instance  of  the  Irish  Church  Pro- 
perty Appropriation  Question,  last  session,  he  voted  with  the 
Liberal  party ;  in  all  other  cases,  he  either  did  not  vote  at  all, 
or  else  he  voted  in  favour  of  Tory  principles.  He  was  not,  I 
am  persuaded,  more  than  eight  or  ten  times  in  his  place  in 
Parliament  during  the  whole  of  the  last  session;  and  in  no 
one  instance  did  he  express  an  opinion  on  any  of  the  great 
questions  which  were  brought  under  the  consideration  of  the 
house.  The  only  time  he  ever  opened  his  mouth  at  all,  was 
on  the  subject  of  some  new  company  which  proposed  supply- 
ing the  metropolis  with  water.  He  did,  indeed  attempt  to 
speak  when  the  question  was  before  the  house,  whether  or  not 
Mr.  Pilgrim,  one  of  the  persons  committed  to  Newgate  for 


*IR  FRANCIS  BURDETT.  133   , 

bribery  at  the  Ipswich  election,  ought  to  be  liberated  at  that 
particular  tirrfe ;  but  some  other  member  caught  the  Speaker's 
eye  before  him,  and  he  did  not  again  rise  with  the  intention 
of  speaking,  so  far  as  I  saw  or  could  learn.  What  side  he 
meant  to  take  on  that  question,  I  have  no  means  of  knowing; 
nor  is  it  of  any  importance,  as  the  Reformers  were  divided 
among  themselves  in  reference  to  it.  If  any  proof,  in  addi- 
tion to  his  general  conduct  for  two  or  three  years  past,  were 
wanting  as  to  the  character  of  his  political  principles,  it  would 
be  found  in  the  fact,  that  his  favourite  newspaper,  and  indeed 
almost  the  only  one  he  reads  with  any  attention,  is  the  Stand- 
ard. Sir  Francis  made  an  admission  to  this  effect,  in  the 
presence  of  several  persons,  a  few  months  since. 

Sir  Francis  is  now  in  his  sixty-fifth  year.  In  person  he  is 
considerably  above  the  middle  size,  and  is  rather  well-  made. 
His  face  is  thin,  and  of  a  sharp  angular  form.  His  eyes  are 
sunken.  He  lias  little  forehead,  while  his  nose,  which  is 
somewhat  of  an  aquiline  form,  is  unusually  large  and  promi- 
nent. His  complexion  is  remarkably  fair,  with  a  mixture  of 
red,  and  his  hair  is  of  a  pure  white. 

Sir  Francis  used  to  be  considered  a  good  speaker.  His 
language  was  always  vigorous,  and  his  matter  excellent.  He 
never  introduced  anything  extraneous  into  his  speeches  for 
the  purposes  of  ornament.  He  always  spoke  to  the  point,  and 
there  was  no  mistaking  his  meaning.  In  his  earlier  days  he 
evidently  spoke  from  the  fulness  of  his  heart:  hence  there 
were  great  energy  and  animation  in  his  manner.  He  often 
reached,  without  attempting  it,  or  being  aware  of  it  at  the 
time,  the  higher,  if  not  the  highest  flights  of  eloquence.  His 
action  sometimes  bordered  on  extravagance  but  was  generally 
graceful.  His  voice,  which  is  clear  and  shrill,  made  the 
walls  of  the  house  re-echo,  when,  in  some  of  his  more  impas- 
sioned moments — and  he  did  on  such  occasions  speak  as  if  in- 
spired by  the  spirit  of  freedom — he  raised  it  in  defence  of  the 
liberties  of  his  country. 

What  the  eccentric  Hon.  Lady  Stanhope  said  of  Sir  Fran- 
cis Burdett  to  one  of  her  countrymen  some  years  since  in  her 
voluntary  exile  in  the  East,  is  still  true: — He  dresses  like  a 
gent  Ionian  and  has  the  manners  of  a  gentleman.  His  favour- 
ite dress,  though  of  course  there  must  be  a  variation  with  the 
season  and  with  circumstances, — is  a  blue  coat,  a  light  colour- 
ed waistcoat,  and  light-coloured  knee  breeches.  Top-boots 
he  almost  invariably  wears.  He  is  very  particular  in  the 


134  COLONEL  EVANS. 

make  of  his  clothes;  not,  indeed,  in  having  them  made  accord- 
ing to  the  existing  fashion,  but  according  to  what  he  con- 
ceives ought  to  be  the  fashion,  or  which  was  most  probably 
the  fashion  some  forty  or  fifty  years  ago.  He  is  fond  of  long 
waistcoats:  they  generally  appear  three  or  four  inches  longer 
than  his  coat,  when  the  latter  is  buttoned,  which  it  usually  is. 

Colonel  EVANS  is  Sir  Francis  Burdett's  colleague  in  the 
representation  of  Westminster.  The  gallant  Colonel  is  per- 
haps the  most  liberal  in  his  politics  of  all  the  metropolitan  re- 
presentatives, with  the  single  exception  of  Mr.  Wakley,  one 
of  the  members  for  Finsbury.  In  fact,  he  belongs  to  the  Ra- 
dical school.  As  a  speaker  he  is  respectable,  but  nothing 
more.  It  is  not,  however,  a  long  time  since  he  was  not  even 
that.  When  he  first  entered  Parliament  for  the  borough  of 
Rye,  which  is  only  a  few  years  since,  he  was  no  speaker  at 
all.  It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  and  not  without  stam- 
mering and  hesitating  at  every  second  sentence  that  he  could 
express  his  sentiments  on  any  subject.  His  connexion  with 
Westminster,  however,  imposed  on  him  a  sort  of  unavoidable 
necessity  of  taking  part  in  almost  all  the  Radical  or  Reform 
meetings  held  in  the  Metropolis  during  the  last  few  years, 
and  the  result  has  been  that  he  has  greatly  improved  by  prac- 
tice. He  can  now  express  his  sentiments  on  any  subject  with 
considerable  ease  and  fluency.  He  is  not  a  man  of  more  than 
average  talents,  and  has  no  pretensions  to  eloquence.  In  the 
Session  of  1834  he  spoke  pretty  often :  last  Session  only  a  very 
few  times.  He  never  makes  long  speeches. 

Colonel  Evans  is  an  Irishman.  He  is  about  fifty  years  of 
age ;  but  appears  much  older  than  he  is  in  consequence  of  the 
great  fatigues  he  underwent,  and  the  wounds  he  received,  in 
the  late  war.  In  person  he  is  about  the  middle  stature,  but 
very  thin.  He  has  the  appearance  of  a  person  in  ill  health, 
or  of  one  whose  frame  has  been  worn  down  by  active  service : 
but  he  is  much  stronger  than  he  appears,  and  is  in  excellent 
spirits ;  a  fact  which  he  has  sufficiently  atteste.d  by  his  having 
lately  voluntarily  encountered  the  fatigues  and  dangers  of 
war  in  the  service  of  the  Queen  of  Spain.  His  hair  is  jet 
black  ;  and  his  complexion  is  so  dark  that  he  is  often  mistaken 
for  a  Spaniard  or  Portuguese.  He  possesses  an  uncommonly 
high  sense  of  honour.  In  short,  he  seems  to  have  a  penchant 
fur  duelling.  I  have  often  seen  him,  as  it  appeared  to  me,  go 
out  of  his  way,  when  personal  altercations  were  going  on  in 
the  House  of  Commons,  in  order  that  he  might  stand  a  chance 


SIR  SAMUEL  WHALLEY.  135 

of  receiving  a  challenge.  In  the  army  few  men  have  more 
distinguished  themselves  by  acts  of  personal  bravery  than 
Colonel  Evans.  He  dresses  with  extreme  plainness,  some- 
times almost  slovenly.  His  clothes  are  never  well  made,  and 
hardly  ever  look  as  if  new.  He  almost  invariably  wears  a 
blue  coat  and  dark  trowsers,  and  generally  has  "  a  shocking 
bad  hat." 

Of  the  members  for  Marylebone,  Sir  SAMUEL  WHALLEY  is 
entitled  to  a  priority  of  notice,  both  on  account  of  his  being  an 
older  representative  of  that  burgh  than  his  colleague,  and  of 
his  name  being  much  more  frequently  before  the  public.  He 
is  quite  a  young  man,  being  only  in  his  thirty-third  year.  In 
person  he  is  below  the  middle  stature,  but  well-proportioned. 
His  hair  is  black,  and  his  complexion  dark.  He  has  a  hand- 
some face  full  of  intelligence,  cheerfulness,  and  good-nature ; 
qualities  which  he  invariably  evinces  in  his  intercourse  with 
his  fellow  men.  But  his  extreme  good-nature  never  leads  him 
to  compromise  his  principles.  He  has  great  fixedness  of  pur- 
pose about  him,  and  is  a  man  of  the  strictest  political  integrity. 
I  do  not  know  a  man  in  the  house  who  has  adhered  more 
closely  to  his  principles,  and  this,  too,  in  opposition  to  the 
strongest  temptations  to  abandon  them.  He  is  a  remarkably 
fluent  speaker.  He  has  a  great  command  of  words.  I  have 
heard  him  express  the  same  sentiment  in  an  infinitely  varied 
phraseology.  Indeed,  his  command  of  words  often  has  the 
effect  of  making  him  wordy.  He  could  speak  for  hours  on 
any  given  subject  without  hesitating  for  a  moment,  or  being  at 
a  loss  for  a  word ;  and  every  sentence  would  be  as  tastefully 
constructed,  as  if  the  speech  had  been  the  result  of  months  of 
the  closest  study.  His  mind  is  not  of  a  very  masculine  order. 
If  he  does  not  fall  below  mediocrity  in  the  matter  'of  his 
speeches,  he  does  not  very  often  rise  far  above  it.  He  chiefly 
excels  in  quiet  sarcasm.  His  voice  is  clear  and  musical,  and 
his  enunciation  distinct  He  is  a  man  of  most  gentlemanly 
and  amiable  manners.  The  electors  of  Marylebone  %re  most 
warmly  attached  to  him,  and  certainly  few  representatives  are 
more  worthy  of  the  regards  of  their  constituents.  He  is  ac- 
cessible to  them  at  all  times,  and  is  remarkable  for  his  can- 
dour and  straightforwardness  in  all  his  intercourse  with  them. 
He  is  most  exemplary  in  the  discharge  of  his  parliamentary 
duties.  I  know  of  few  members,  although  he  is  in  a  delicate 
state  of  health,  who  are  more  regular  in  their  attendance  in 
the  house. 


13T»          Mil.  HENRY  LYTTON  BULWER MR.  T.  DUMOMHE. 

Mr.  HENRY  LYTTON  Bt  I.WKK,  is  Sir  Samuel  Whalley's  col- 
league, lie  is  the  brother  of  Mr.  Edward  Lytton  Bulwer, 
member  for  Lincoln,  and  author  of  "Eugene  Aram,"  &c. 
Mr.  II.  Bulwer  himself  also  makes  some  pretensions  to  literary 
talent.  These  are  chiefly  grounded  on  his  late  work  entitled 
"  France — Social,  Political,  and  Literary,"  which  is  undoubt- 
edly one  of  considerable  merit.  He  is  ardently  attached  to 
his  brother,  and  his  brother  is  equally  so  towards  him.  I  have 
sometimes  seen  this  commendable  feeling  of  fraternal  regard 
get  the  better  of  the  good  taste  of  the  member  for  Marylebone, 
by  prompting  him  to  pay  compliments  to  his  brother's  literary 
merits  in  public,  which  would  have  come  with  a  much  better 
grace  from  a  more  disinterested  quarter. 

Mr.  H.  L.  Bulwer  is  a  young  man.  He  is  only  about  thirty- 
five  years  of  age.  In  person  he  is  rather  tall  and_  handsome. 
His  complexion  is  fair,  and  his  hair  of  a  dark  shade,  without 
being,  strictly  speaking,  black.  His  features  are  regular,  and 
the  expression  of  his  countenance  intelligent,  and,  on  the 
whole,  pleasing.  He  has  a  good  deal  of  conceit  about  him. 
He  is  vain  both  of  his  person  and  intellect  He  is  foppish  in 
his  dress,  and  has  too  much  of  an  aristocratic  air  in  his  man- 
ners. He  is  a  man  of  fair  talents,  but  nothing  more.  He 
does  not  speak  often ;  and  even  then,  unless  the  speech  has 
been  previously  prepared,  but  for  a  very  short  time.  His 
voice  is  not  powerful,  but  it  is  pleasant.  His  utterance  is 
rapid,  and  an  aifected  pronunciation  sometimes  makes  it  diffi- 
cult to  hear  him  distinctly.  He  is  not  a  man  of  any  weight  in 
the  house ;  whatever  distinction  he.  possesses,  he  owes,  in  a 
great  measure,  to  his  relationship  to  Mr.  Edward  Lytton  Bulwer. 

I  come  now  to  the  members  for  Finsbury — Mr.  T.  Dun- 
combe  and  Mr.  Wakley.  Mr.  BUNCOMBE  has  been  many 
years  in  Parliament,  having,  previous  to  1832,  sat  during 
several  Parliaments, — three,  I  think — for  the  burgh  of  Hert- 
ford. In  stature  he  is  about  the  middle  size.  His  person  is 
handsome,  and  it  is  set  off  to  great  advantage  by  the  tasteful 
manner  in  which  he  dresses.  His  hair  is  quite  black,  and  his 
complexion  very  dark.  His  eyes  are  small,  but  full  of  fire 
and  intelligence.  He  is  a  man  of  very  respectable  talents. 
His  agreeable  manners  make  him  a  general  favourite  both 
within  and  without  the  house.  He  does  not  speak  often, 
hardly  ever,  unless  he  has  previously  prepared  himself  for  the 
occasion.  When  he  does  address  the  house  he  acquits  him- 
self in  a  very  creditable  manner.  His  voice  is  clear  and 


MR.  WAKLEY.  *    137 

pleasant  in  its  tones,  and  his  manner  is  easy  and  unaffected. 
I  know  of  few  members  who  have  the  happy  tact  in  a  greater 
degree  than  Mr.  Duncombe,  of  saying  a  great  deal  in  a  few 
words.  He  is  never  tedious ;  nor  does  he  ever  wander  from 
the  subject.  Instead  of  encumbering  his  arguments  with  a 
world  of  verbiage,  as  is  too  often  done,  or  inflicting  on  the 
House  sentences  without  number  containing  no  argument  at 
all,  he  states  his  arguments  in  the  fewest  possible  terms, — 
almost  every  new  sentence,  indeed,  contains  a  new  argument. 
He  is  singularly  happy  in  giving  a  clear,  intelligible  state- 
ment of  facts  in  the  shortest  possible  space,  and  in  the  fewest 
possible  words.  His  style  is  correct,  without  being  polished. 
It  is  smooth  and  pleasant,  never  disfigured  by  a  straining  after 
effect  by  means  of  metaphorical,  or  any  of  the  other  meretri- 
cious expressions  so  often  mistaken,  by  persons  of  a  false  taste, 
for  eloquence. 

Mr.  WAKLEY,  Mr.  Buncombe's  colleague,  was  well  known 
to  the  public  before  his  admission  into  the  house.  His  fre- 
quent unsuccessful  contests  for  Finsbury,  the  prominent  part 
he  has  taken  for  years  in  the  proceedings  at  the  Radical  meet- 
ings of  the  metropolis,  and  his  editorship  of  The  Lancet, 
which  he  still  conducts,  and  of  The  Ballot  newspaper,  which 
is  now  incorporated  with  The  Examiner,  have  made  his  name 
familiar  to  all.  In  his  political  opinions  he  is  of  the  Ultra- 
Radical  school ;  but  has  not  been  nearly  so  violent  in  the  ex- 
pression of  his  sentiments,  nor  so  obstinate  and  self-willed  in 
the  course  of  conduct  he  has  pursued  in  the  house,  as  was 
generally  apprehended.  In  fact,  he  has  acted  with  a  modera- 
tion, in  consequence  of  yielding  to  the  advice  of  others,  rather 
than  pursuing  the  bent  of  his  own  inclinations  and  acting"  ac- 
cording to  the  dictates  of  his  own  judgment,  which  has  dis- 
pleased a  great  many  of  his  constituents,  and  given  rise  in 
their  minds  to  suspicions  that  he  is  not  the  man  they  took  him 
for. 

Mr.  Wakley  is  an  excellent  speaker,  though  he  does  not 
appear  to  the  same  advantage  in  the  house  as  out  of  it.  His 
voice  possesses  a  fine  musical  tone,  which  he  can  modulate  at 
pleasure.  Sometimes  he  speaks  a  little  too  fast,  but  generally 
his  utterance  is  well-timed  to  the  ear.  He  is  always  audible 
in  every  part  of  the  house.  The  only  speech  of  any  length  or 
importance  he  has  yet  made  in  Parliament,  was  in  July  last, 
for  a  remission  of  the  sentence  passed  on  the  Dorchester 
labourers.  And  that  was,  in  every  point  of  view,  a  highly 
12  * 


1-        •  MR.  WAKLEY. 

creditable  effort;  it  was  so  considered  by  men  of  all  parties. 
He  attempted  to  speak  two  or  three  times  when  Sir  Robert 
Peel  was  in  office,  on  Lord  John  Russell's  motion  respecting 
the  Appropriation  of  the  surplus  property  of  the  Church  of 
Ireland  to  other  than  ecclesiastical  purposes,  but  was  not  for- 
tunate enough  to  catch  the  eye  of  the  Speaker.  He  is  inva- 
riably fluent,  often  eloquent.  His  matter  is  always  good, 
though  he  is  sometimes  wordy.  His  delivery  is  graceful.  1 
never  heard  two  voices  so  like  each  other  as  his  and  the  late 
Mr.  Cobbett's;  only  that  he  speaks,  as  already  stated,  with 
much  rapidity,  while  Cobbett  was  one  of  the  slowest  speakers 
I  have  ever  heard.  Mr.  Wakley  has  a  strong  provincial  ac- 
cent, which  sometimes  has  a  ludicrous  effect.  One  would, 
from  his  mode  of  pronouncing  some  words,  take  him  to  be  a 
Scotchman.  For  example,  the  word  "  halfpennies"  he  always 
pronounces  "ha'pnies." 

Mr.  Wakley  has  a  good  taste  for  the  humorous,  and  makes 
some  happy  hits  that  way.  As  a  mimic  he  certainly  stands 
unrivalled  in  the  house,  and  has  few  equals  out  of  it.  The 
only  specimen  he  has  yet  given  in  the  house  of  his  powers  in 
this  way  was  indescribably  happy,  and  called  forth  peals  of 
laughter  from  all  parts  of  the  house.  He  was  mimicking  one 
of  the  electors  of  South  Devon,  who  voted  against  Lord  John 
Russell,  when  he  proceeded  in  this  strain,  as  nearly  as  print 
can  convey  an  idea  of  his  manner  : — 

"  He  had  been  down  in  Devonshire  during  the  late  election, 
and  what  was  the  cry  of  the  farmers  who  had  been  brought  up 
to  vote  against  the  noble  lord  (Lord  John  Russell) — '  1'se  have 
na  Lard  Russell ;  I'se  have  na  refaarm  ;  1'se  have  Ha  Paape' 
— (Great  laughter).  When  he  asked  one  of  the  farmers 
whether  he  would  not  prefer  to  go  up  and  vote  independently, 
instead  of  being  thus  brought  up  in  the  train  of  the  landlord, 
the  man  said  '  Na,  I'se  aalways  rides  to  the  poll  a-horseback' 
— (Renewed  laughter).  When  he  asked  another  elector, 
whether  he  would  not  like  to  go  to  poll  by  way  of  the  ballot, 
his  answer  was,  'I  daan't  kna  zur  ;  I'se  aalways  goo  by  way  of 
Daalish.'  " — (Peals  of  laughter). 

Mr.  Wakley  is  about  forty-five  years  of  age.  In  person, 
he  is  tall  and  handsome.  He  is  full  six  feet  in  height ;  his 
complexion  is  fair  and  his  hair  red.  His  countenance  is  plea- 
sant, except  when  speaking,  when  it  very  often  assumes  a 
contemptuous  sort  of  expression,  which  is  anything  but  agree- 
able. I  have,  on  several  occasions,  been  amused  by  observing 


DR.  LUSHIXGTON MR.  CLAY.  139 

him  and  his  colleague  sitting  each  in  an  empty  seat  by  himself 
at  the  back  of  the  Ministerial  benches,  and  carrying  on  a  con- 
versation together  across  the  passage,  as  if  severally  perform- 
ing quarantine.  The  circumstance  has  sometimes  reminded 
me  of  Hazlitt's  story  of  two  servant  maids  gossiping  about 
their  sweethearts,  or  abusing  their  mistresses,  by  putting  their 
heads  out  of  the  windows  nearest  to  each  other,  of  their  re- 
spective houses. 

The  members  for  the  Tower  Hamlets  are  Dr.  LTJSHINGTON 
and  Mr.  Clay.  The  name  of  the  former  has  been  prominently 
before  the  public  for  many  years.  He  was  a  strenuous  and 
able  Reformer  in  the  worst  and  most  perilous  times.  He  is  a 
man  of  distinguished  talents.  If  he  have  no  pretensions  to 
genius,  or  if  he  seldom  delights  his  audience  by  anything 
brilliant  or  original,  he  never  fails  to  put  the  most  obvious  ar- 
guments in  favour  of  the  view  he  takes  of  a  subject,  in  their 
clearest  light.  His  speeches  are  always  argumentative  and 
forcible.  I  know  of  few  members  who  deal  less  in  general 
declamation.  He  still  speaks  pretty  often,  but  not  by  any 
means  with  the  frequency  he  did  before  and  during  the  great 
struggle  for  the  Reform  Bill.  His  notion  is,  in  the  first  place, 
that  the  battle  may  be  already  said  to  be  won ;  and,  in  the 
second,  that  as  there  are  now  so  many  able  advocates  for  what 
yet  remains  to  be  accomplished,  on  behalf  of  the  great  cause 
of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  it  would  be  a  species  of  unne- 
cessary obtrusion  of  himself  on  the  house  were  he  to  address 
it  as  often  as  he  did  when  the  battle  was  at  its  hottest,  and 
the  result — as  to  time  at  least — a  matter  of  doubt. 

Dr.  Lushington's  voice  is  clear  and  shrill.  When  he  in- 
tends to  address  the  house  at  any  length,  he  pitches  it  in  so 
high  a  key  as  to  sound  unpleasant  to  the  ears  of  those  imme- 
diately around  him.  He  usually  makes  "  the  welkin  ring 
again."  His  utterance  is  somewhat  slow  at  the  commence- 
ment,' but  as  he  proceeds  and  warms  with  the  subject,  he 
speaks  with  more  rapidity,  but  never  with  too  much.  He 
evidently  feels  strongly  when  addressing  the  house  on  ques- 
tions which  involve  first  principles,  and  gives  a  full  and  fear- 
less expression  to  his  sentiments.  His  elocution  is  somewhat 
impaired  by  his  inability  to  pronounce  the  letter  r. 

In  person,  Dr.  Lushington  is  somewhat  above  the  middle 
size.  His  complexion  is  dark,  and  his  hair  something  between 
a  black  and  brown  colour.  His  features  are  distinctly  marked. 
He  has  a  projecting  brow  and  a  prominent  nose.  His  mouth 


140  MR.  DANIEL  WHITTLE  IIARVEY. 

is  large,  and  in  speaking  he  usually  opens  it  so  wide  as  to 
show  most  of  his  teeth.  His  under  lip  droops  considerably. 
His  eyes  are  black,  and  when  speaking  on  any  question  in 
which  lie  feels  a  special  interest,  they  emit  the  most  fiery 
and  piercing  glances.  In  his  mode  of  dressing  there  is  nothing 
peculiar.  He  dresses  plainly  but  not  slovenly.  His  age  is 
about  fifty-five. 

Mr.  CLAY  owes  his  seat  and  his  popularity  chiefly  to  the 
liberality  of  his  opinions.  In  several  instances,  when  there 
were  divisions  in  the  house,  he  has  gone  much  farther  towards 
pure  Radicalism  than  Dr.  Lushington  was  prepared,  or  thought 
it  advisable  at  the  time  to  go.  Hence  he  is,  or  was  some 
twelve  or  eighteen  months  since,  a  greater  favourite  with  the 
electors  of  the  Tower  Hamlets  than  Dr.  Lushington.  Though 
he  does  not  speak  often — not  on  an  average  above  three  or 
four  times  a  session — he  can  acquit  himself  very  creditably 
when  he  has  had  time  to  prepare  his  speech  and  commit  it  to 
memory  before-hand.  The  Corn-Law  question  is  his  favourite 
subject;  and  he  has  made  several  motions  on  the  subject, 
which  he  always  prefaces  with  a  very  respectable  speech  and 
of  considerable  length.  His  voice  has  little  power  or  volume, 
but  it  is  clear  and  pleasant,  and  he  speaks  with  ease  and 
fluency.  He  has  not  much  action ;  but  what  he  has  is  grace- 
ful. He  is  a  handsome  man.  There  are  few  more  handsome 
men  in  the  house.  He  is  tall  and  well-proportioned ;  and  the 
appearance  of  his  person  is  much  improved  by  the  tasteful 
manner  in  which  he  dresses.  He  has  a  fine  forehead;  his 
features  are  regular,  his  complexion  is  fair,  and  his  hair  par- 
tially dark.  He  is  about  forty-five  years  of  age. 

I  come  next  to  the  members  forSouthwark — Messrs.  Daniel 
Whittle  Harvey,  and  Sheriff  Humphrey.  There  are  few  men 
in  the  house  whose  names  are  more  familiar  to  the  public  than 
that  of  Mr.  HARVEY.  He  is  one  of  the  little  band  still  in 
Parliament  who  ably  and  unflinchingly  advocated  Reform 
when  the  cause  was  so  unpopular,  and  when  success  was  all 
but  hopeless.  He  is  a  man  of  great  talents.  There  are  but 
few  more  gifted  men  in  Parliament.  On  whatever  subject  he 
speaks,  he  is  sure  to  say  something  clever.  He  is  one  of  the 
few  speakers  in  the  house  whom  one  would  never  tire  of 
hearing.  His  ideas  always  strike  you  as  excellent,  and  his 
illustrations  are  usually  of  the  most  felicitous  kind.  You  are 
often  surprised,  as  well  as  pleased,  by  the  brilliant  things  he 
says.  His  language  is  elegant  to  a  fault.  I  have  heard  him 


MR.  SHERIFF  HUMPHREY.  141 

deliver  speeches  of  considerable  length,  through  the  whole  of 
\vljich  there  ran  a  vein  of  the  richest  poetical  imagery.  I 
never  saw  a  better  illustration  than  is  furnished  by  his 
speeches,  of  the  practicability  of"  speaking  poetry  in  the  garb 
of  prose."  Even  on  the  question  of  the  Pension  List — a  most 
unpoetical  subject,  one  would  think — I  have  heard  Mr.  Harvey 
express  himself;  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  in  the  most 
poetical  diction.  At  refined  sarcasm  he  has  few  equals,  either 
in  or  out  of  the  house.  No  one  can  cut  an  opponent  mor& 
delicately,  and  at  the  same  time  so  deeply.  Some  of  his  efforts 
in  this  way  have  been  the  happiest  that  ever  met  my  notice, 
either  in  speeches  I  have  heard  delivered,  or  in  the  course  of 
my  reading. 

Mr.  Harvey  is  also  one  of  the  best  speakers  in  the  house. 
The  delivery  of  many  of  his  speeches  has  often  appeared  to 
me  a  model  of  correct  and  graceful  elocution.  He  has  a  fine 
melodious  voice,  over  the  tones,  and  intonations  of  which  he 
has  a  perfect  control.  His  utterance  too,  is  neither  too  rapid 
nor  too  slow, — it  is  the  happy  medium.  His  speeches,  when 
well  prepared,  fall  with  all  the  softness  and  symphony  of 
music  on  the  ear.  .  Even  when"  not  prepared,  he  often  speaks 
admirably.  I  have  frequently  heard  him  get  up  and  make  a 
speech  from  thirty  to  forty  minutes'  duration  on  the  spur  of 
the  moment,  in  which  there  was  not  a  single  misplaced  word, 
or  the  slightest  unnecessary  pause  ;  while  the  delivery  seemed 
as  perfect  as  the  human  voice  could  make  it.  But  he  is  not 
always,  when  unprepared,  equally  happy.  On  other  occasions 
I  have  repeatedly  seen  him  falter  and  stutter,  and  appear 
awkward  altogether  in  the  delivery.  He,  therefore,  who 
hears  him  in  such  cases,  can  have  no  idea  of  what  he  is  in  his 
happier  moments. 

Mr.  Harvey  is  considerably  above  the  middle  size,  and  of 
proportional  thickness.  His  shoulders  are  unusually  high, 
lie  is  white-haired,  and  his  face  is  of  a  fair  complexion.  Ad- 
vancing years  are  beginning  to  tell  upon  it  in  the  shape  of  a 
few  slight  wrinkles.  He  is  in  his  fifty-first  year.  He  dresses 
plainly.  He  almost  invariably  wears  a  blue  coat  with  a  velvet 
collar.  The  other  parts  of  his  dress  vary  with  the  season, 
but  his  predelictions  seem  to  be  in  favour  of  a  light  colour. 

Mr.  Sheriff  HVMI-HUEY  (Mr.  Harvey's  colleague)  has  not, 
so  fiir  as  I  am  aware,  ever  attempted  to  speak  in  the  house. 
He  is  no  speaker ;  and  he  has  the  good  sense  to  know  it :  it 
were  devoutly  to  be  wished  that  several  other  hon.  members 
possessed  the  same  species  of  knowledge.  He  ia  remarkably 


142  MR.  TENNVSON MR.  HAWES. 

plain  and  unsophisticated  in  his  manners,  and  yet  is  quite  the 
gentleman.  I  do  not  know  a  more  consistent  man;  certainly 
no  hon.  member  adheres  more  faithfully  to  his  hustings  pledges. 
He  is  a  great  favourite,  and  deservedly  so,  with  his  consti- 
tuents. In  person  he  is  middle-sized,  but  very  stout,  without 
being,  strictly  speaking,  corpulent.  His  complexion  is  ruddy, 
and  his  countenance  is  full  of  cheerfulness  and  good-nature. 
His  hair  is  of  a  brown  colour.  In  his  dress  he  is  always  plain 
but  neat  He  is  about  forty-five  years  of  age. 

The  only  other  of  the  Metropolitan  boroughs  whose  repre- 
sentatives remain  to  be  noticed,  is  that  of  Lambeth.  The 
members  for  this  borough  are  Mr.  Tennyson  and  Mr.  Hawes. 
Mr.  TENNYSON  first  brought  himself  before  the  public  as  a 
zealous  Reformer  in  the  year  1827,  by  his  exertions  to  get 
the  elective  franchise  transferred  from  the  corrupt  borough  of 
East  Retford,  to  the  large  and  populous  town  of  Birmingham. 
His  exertions  in  the  cause  of  Reform  have,  in  one  shape  or 
other,  subjected  him  to  a  very  serious  expenditure  out  of  his 
private  fortune.  Few  men  are  more  attached  to  their  princi- 
ples than  Mr.  Tennyson.  They  are,  in  one  sense,  a  part  of 
his  being.  He  is  ready  to  make  any  sacrifice  for  them.  He 
goes  to  the  extreme  of  Liberalism,  without  being  ultra  Radi- 
cal. The  result  of  his  abstract  reasonings  on  the  subject,  as 
well  as  his  own  observation  of  the  evils  of  long  Parliaments, 
have  led  him  to  attach  the  very  greatest  importance  to  fre- 
quent elections :  he  has,  therefore,  brought  forward  a  motion 
every  session,  for  some  years  past,  in  favour  of  Triennial  Par- 
liaments. These  motions  he  always  prefaces  with  a  speech 
of  considerable  length,  and,  generally,  of  ability.  I  am  not 
sure  that  he  has  struck  out  any  new  course  of  argument  on 
the  subject ;  but  those  arguments  which  most  naturally  sug- 
gest themselves  to  any  reflective  mind,  he  arranges  with  judg- 
ment, and  puts  in  a  clear  and  forcible  light.  He  is  a  respect- 
able speaker,  but  nothing  more:  indeed  he  makes  no  preten- 
sions to  fine  speaking.  His  voice  is  not  strong,  but  it  is 
pleasant.  He  is  always  audible  except  when  there  is  a  noise 
in  the  house,  a  circumstance  of  by  no  means  unfrequent  occur- 
rence. 

Mr.  Tennyson  is  in  person  about  the  middle  size,  rather,  if 
anything,  under  it.  His  hair  is  black,  and  his  complexion 
dark.  He  has  a  fine  forehead.  His  eyes  are  small,  but  full 
of  fire  and  animation.  He  has  large  whiskers,  and  a  small 
tuft,  on  his  chin.  He  is  about  forty-five  years  of  age. 


MR.  HA  WES.  143 

Mr.  HAWES  is  by  no  means  so  popular  among  the  electors  of 
Lambeth  as  Mr.  Tennyson,  not  being  so  decided  and  liberal 
in  his  principles.  He  owes  his  seat  in  Parliament  chiefly  to 
the  influence  he  possesses  in  the  borough  by  means  of  his 
extensive  business  in  it  as  a  soap  manufacturer.  He  speaks 
pretty  often,  but  it  is  generally  on  the  details  of  some  compa- 
ratively unimportant  question.  I  know  of  no  great  principle 
or  measure  with  which  he  has  identified  himself.  There  is 
nothing  peculiar  in  his  voice,  or  in  his  manner  of  speaking, 
except  that  he  speaks  fast.  He  is  a  little  man,  round  in  the 
face,  and  of  dark  hair  and  dark  complexion.  He  is  in  his 
forty-third  year. 


1 1 1  MH.  m  MT. 

rilAI'TKR    XIII. 

THE  COUNTRY  I.IUERAL  PARTY. 

Mr.  IJuuio— Mr.  <iisl>orne— Mr.  Warburton — Mr.  Charles  Duller — 
Mr.  Ewart — Mr.  Ellice — Mr.  Thomas  Attwooil— Mr.  Roebuck — 
Mr.  Ward — Lord  Dudley  Stuart — Mr.  Pease — Sir  Edward  Cocl- 
rington — Mr.  Wallace — Mr.  Serjeant  Wilde. 

IT  is  not  intended,  under  this  head  to  give  sketches  of  all 
the  Country  Liberal  members  whose  names  appear  most  fre- 
quently before  the  public.  I  shall  confine  myself,  in  this 
chapter,  to  those  members  of  the  Country  Liberal  party,  who 
cannot,  with  so  much  propriety,  be  classed  under  the  heads 
which  are  to  follow. 

At  the  head  of  the  Country  Liberal  party  stands  Mr.  HUME. 
He  is  entitled  to  be  first  noticed,  both  on  account  of  his  being 
the  representative  of  the  most  important  county  (Middlesex) 
in  the  country,  and  also  on  account  of  his  great  influence  with 
Reformers  in  all  parts  of  the  land.  He  is,  in  person,  about  the 
middle  size,  and  of  a  stout  and  firm  make.  There  is  a  tendency 
to  corpulency  about  him.  He  is  a  man  of  great  physical 
strength,  and  can  endure  an  incredible  ajnount  of  fatigue.  He 
thinks  nothing,  as  I  have  elsewhere  said,  of  sitting  for  weeks 
and  months  in  succession,  in  the  house,  almost  from  the  time 
of  its  meeting  till  the  adjournment,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
number  of  speeches  he  delivers, — of  which  I  shall  have  to 
speak  presently.  The  only  occasion  on  which  I  ever  heard 
him  particularly  complain  of  exhaustion,  was  at  the  close  of 
the  contest  for  Middlesex  in  the  beginning  of  the  present 
year.  He  then  confessed  he  was  fairly  "  done  up;"  and  added, 
that  he  would  not  again  encounter  the  same  anxiety  of  mind, 
and  undergo  the  same  amount  of  physical  exertion,  as  he  did 
on  those  two  days,  for  £  20,000.  And  no  one,  acquainted 
with  the  circumstances,  need  wonder  at  the  observation;  for 
in  the  first  place,  he  was  quite  unprepared  for  such  a  struggle. 
He  never  dreamed  that  his  opponents  had  been  moving  heaven 
and  earth,  for  weeks  previously,  to  oust  him,  and  that  they 
had  succeeded  in  gaining  over  to  their  side  a  great  many  of 
those  who  had  formerly  proved  his  staunches!  friends.  In  the 
second  place,  hb  committee  had  misunderstood  each  other,  as 


MR.  HUME.  145 

to  some  important  steps  which  should  have  been  taken  to  in- 
sure his  return, — the  consequence  of  which  was  that  the  first 
day  his  opponent  was  several  hundreds  a-head  of  him  on  the 
poll.  This  of  course  doubled  his  anxiety  all  that  night  and 
next  day  as  to  the  result — an  anxiety  which  very  nearly  ap- 
proximated to  despair.  In  the  third  place,  the  season  was  the 
middle  of  winter,  and  after  being1  kept  a  great  part  of  each 
night  with  his  committees  at  different  places,  he  had  to  drive 
in  breathless  haste  through  the  day,  from  one  polling  station 
to  another,  where  he  was,  as  soon  after  the  close  of  each  day's 
poll  as  possible,  obliged  to  address  the  electors  at  considerable 
length  and  with  all  the  strength  of  lungs  he  possessed.  When 
I  say  that  for  eight  or  ten  days  before  he  had  been  almost 
constantly  employed  in  addressing  large  assemblages  of  the 
electors  and  non-electors  of  Middlesex,  it  will  at  once  be  seen 
that  to  speak  so  often  and  at  so  many  different  places  during 
the  two  days  of  the  election,  as  he  had  occasion  to  do,  was  no 
easy  task.  All  circumstances  considered,  the  mental  exertion 
and  bodily  fatigue  which  Mr.  Hume  underwent  at  the  last 
election  for  Middlesex,  were  such  as  might  have  shaken  the 
nerves  of  the  strongest  minded  man,  and  tried  the  most  Her- 
culean constitution.  It  is  no  wonder,  therefore,  if  he  should 
have  shrunk  back  at  the  bare  contemplation  of  other  two  such 
days. 

I  have  said  that  in  person  Mr.  Hume  is  of  a  stout  and  firm 
make.  He  is  short-necked,  and  his  head  is  one  of  the  largest 
I  have  seen.  His  hair,  which  is  dark  brown,  mixed  with 
gray,  is  always  long  and  bushy;  his  face  is  fat  and  round,  and 
his  complexion  has  that  rough  yet  healthy-like  aspect  which 
is  so  common  among  gentlemen  farmers.  He  is  beginning  to 
get  slightly  furrowred  with  wrinkles.  The  impression  which 
Mr.  Hume's  physiognomy  invariably  creates  in  the  mind  of  a 
stranger,  is  that  of  a  man  of  strong  nerves  and  great  deter- 
mination of  purpose.  This  is  exactly  his  character.  He  is 
quite  impervious  to  ridicule  or  sarcasm.  He  cares  not  what 
quantity  of  abuse — however  virulent  in  quality — may  be 
heaped  on  him.  All  the  ridicule,  nay,  all  the  calumny  in  the 
world,  will  not  divert  him  from  his  purpose,  if  satisfied  in  his 
own  mind  it  is  a  commendable  one.  And  as  it  is  impossible 
for  his  enemies  to  force  or  frighten  him  out  of  any  course  he 
intends  to  pursue,  so,  in  the  infinite  majority  of  cases,  it  is  a 
most  difficult  matter  for  his  friends  to  persuade  him  from  it. 
There,  is  not  a  man  of  purer  motives  or  greater  integrity  in 
13 


146  MR.  HUME. 

the  house;  but  his  self-willed  disposition  has  occasionally  done 
mischief  to  the  cause  he  has  so  much  at  heart,  and  in  more 
than  one  instance  perilled  its  success — at  least  for  a  time — 
altogether.  While  giving  him  the  fullest  credit  for  unbound- 
ed zeal  in  the  cause  of  the  people,  and  for  the  purity  of  his 
intentions,  it  must  be  clear  to  every  reflecting  person,  that 
had  he  persisted  in  bringing  forward  either  of  the  motions  of 
which  he  gave  notice  soon  after  the  beginning  of  last  session, 
for  a  vote  of  want  of  confidence  in  the  Peel  Ministry,  or  for 
stopping  the  supplies, — the  effect  would  most  certainly  have 
been  to  defeat  the  objects  of  his  own  party.  It  was  with  the 
greatest  difficulty,  and  not  without  the  most  urgent  solicita- 
tion from  the  most  influential  men  of  all  classes  of  Reformers, 
that  he  was  prevailed  on  to  relinquish  his  intention.  I  know 
of  no  man  who  has  more  improved  as  a  speaker  than  Mr. 
Hume.  He  is  a  striking  instance  of  what  may  be  accom- 
plished in  this  way  by  mere  dint  of  perseverance.  When  he 
first  entered  Parliament,  which  was  in  1818  or  1819 — I  do 
not  recollect  which — he  was  one  of  the  worst  speakers  in  the 
house.  He  not  only  stammered  at  every  fourth  or  fifth  sen- 
tence, but  his  language  was  in  the  worst  possible  taste.  It 
often  outraged  not  only  all  the  acknowledged  principles  of 
English  grammar,  but  his  sentences  were  often  left  unfinished. 
Now,  however,  without  any  pretensions  to  being  a  first-rate 
speaker,  Mr.  Hume  acquits  himself,  when  addressing  the 
house,  in  a  highly  creditable  manner.  He  speaks  with  much 
ease,  and  always  expresses  his  thoughts  with  great  clearness 
and  propriety;  often  with  considerable  vigour  of  language. 
His  style  is  not  polished  or  flowery.  Though  celebrated  all 
the  world  over  for  his  love  of  figures  of  arithmetic,  I  never 
yet  knew  him  use  a  figure  of  rhetoric  in  any  of  the  innume- 
rable speeches  I  have  heard  him  make.  On  the  other  hand, 
I  may  state,  that  I  scarcely  ever  knew  him  make  a  speech  of 
any  length,  into  which  he  did  not  introduce  a  greater  or  less 
number  of  arithmetical  figures.  He  takes  a  pounds,  shillings, 
and  pence  view  of  almost  every  subject. 

Mr.  Hume's  voice  is  strong  and  clear:  its  tones  have  occa- 
sionally something  musical  about  them.  If,  instead  of  allow- 
ing himself  to  fall  into  a  monotonous  way  of  speaking,  he  had 
carefully  cultivated  the  natural  capabilities  of  his  voice,  so  as 
to  modulate  it  according  to  the  subject,  I  am  satisfied  he  would 
have  been  a  much  more  effective  speaker  than  he  is. 

His  gesticulation  cannot  be  said  to  be  graceful;  neither  is 


MR.  HUME.  147 

it  awkward.  When  he  intends  making  a  speech  of  some 
length,  he  carefully  lays  his  hat,  which  is  always  full  of  pa- 
pers, on  the  seat  close  to  the  spot  on  which  he  was  sitting, 
and  exhibits,  as  he  rises,  one  or  more  Parliamentary  papers, 
most  probably  connected  with  the  "  estimates,"  rolled  up  and 
firmly  grasped  by  his  right  hand.  With  these  papers,  so 
closely  rolled  up  as  to  have  the  appearance  of  a  solid  piece  of 
matter,  he  often,  in  the  course  of  his  speech  strikes  the  palm 
of  his  left  hand  with  some  force.  If  he  is  saying,  or  imagines 
he  is  saying,  something  particularly  good,  he  stretches  out  his 
right  arm  to  its  full  length,  and  whirls  the  roll  of  paper  with 
considerable  energy  in  the  air.  When  he  intends  to  be  brief 
in  his  addresses  to  the  house,  he  does  not  trouble  himself 
about  the  locality  of  his  hat,  and  seldom  takes  any  papers  in 
his  hand,  unless  he  intends  to  read  something  to  the  house, 
when  he  uses  an  eye-glass.  His  gesture  on  such  occasions 
chiefly  consists  in  gently  raising  and  lowering  both  his  arms 
at  the  same  time,  very  much  in  the  way  a  person  working  at 
a  double-handed  saw  does.  When  he  rises  again,  to  give  an 
explanation  of  a  personal  nature,  Mr.  Hume  always  puts  his 
hat  under  his  left  arm,  that  part  of  it  into  which  his  head  goes 
fronting  honourable  members  on  the  other  side  of  the  house. 
In  such  cases  he  uses  no  gesture  at  all ;  he  stands  stock  still. 
H.  B.,  the  celebrated  political  caricaturist,  gave  a  most  graffic 
sketch  of  him  with  his  hat  under  his  left  arm,  as  explaining, 
when  called  on  for  that  purpose  by  Sir  Robert  Peel,  in  April 
last,  what  he  meant  when  he  charged  Sir  Robert  with  acting 
dishonourably  in  the  course  he  was  then  pursuing. 

In  almost  all  Mr.  Hume's  long  speeches,  he  repeatedly  in- 
timates that  he  is  about  to  conclude  long  before  he  does  so ; 
sometimes  perhaps,  before  he  has  got  half  through. his  address. 
The  only  symptom  that  can  be  depended  on  of  his  being  about 
to  resume  his  seat,  is  that  of  his  giving  a  glance  to  his  hat. 
He  always  concludes  in  two  or  three  sentences  after  he  has 
done  that. 

I  think  I  am  within  the  mark  when  I  say,  that  Mr.  Hume 
speaks  more  in  the  course  of  a  Session  than  any  other  three 
members  put  together.  He  takes  part  in  almost  every  dis- 
cussion that  arises  in  the  house;  and  when  the  house  is  in 
Committee,  and  he  has  the  right  of  speaking  as  often  as  he 
pleases,  he  addresses  it  with  a  frequency  which  would  appear 
incredible  to  those  who  have  not  witnessed  it.  On  one  occa- 
sion, in  May  last,  when  the  miscellaneous  estimates  were 


149  MR.  CISBORNE. 

under  consideration,  he  spoke  no  fewer  than  forty  times  in 
one  night. 

He  is  not  a  man  of  very  superior  talents;  but  every  thing 
he  says  is  characterized  by  strong  good  sense.  If  he  never 
gives  utterance  to  any  thing  brilliant,  he  never  descends  below 
mediocrity.  He  is  well  informed  on  matters  of  general  poli- 
tics. His  memory  is  very  tenacious. 

He  is  of  an  easy  and  agreeable  temper.  I  never  yet  knew 
him,  notwithstanding  the  loads  of  the  coarsest  personal  abuse 
I  have  seen  heaped  on  him,  lose  his  temper.  He  acts  on  the 
Scriptural  rule  of  not  rendering  evil  for  evil,  or  returning 
railing  for  railing.  It  is  principles  and  measures,  not  persons 
that  he  attacks.  He  has  been  of  great  service  in  advancing 
the  popular  cause.  His  zeal  and  exertions  on  behalf  of  that 
cause  are  almost  as  great  out  of  the  house  as  in  it.  Nothing 
but  the  most  robust  constitution  could  have  stood  the  labours 
and  fatigues  he  has  undergone  in  the  cause  of  civil  and  reli- 
gious liberty.  In  his  dress  Mr.  Hume  is  always  plain.  He 
usually  wears  a  blue  coat.  During  last  Session  he  chiefly 
wore  a  tartan  waistcoat  and  light-coloured  cassimere  trowsers. 
His  waistcoat  is  always  double-breasted,  and  is  usually  close 
buttoned  up  to  his  chin.  He  is  in  his  fifty-eighth  year;  but, 
from  his  healthy  appearance  and  strong  constitution, — the 
more  surprising  as  he  resided  for  many  years  in  India, — joined 
to  his  temperate  habits,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  he 
may  live  for  a  long  period  to  come. 

As  so  many  of  the  other  country  Liberal  members  are  so 
nearly  on  an  equality,  both  as  regards  their  talents  and  their 
influence  in  the  house,  it  would  be  impossible  for  me,  were  I 
to  attempt  it,  to  assign  them  their  respective  places  in  the 
scale  of  importance.  I  shall,  therefore,  take  them  at  random, 
beginning  with  Mr.  Gisborne,  the  member  for  South  Derby- 
shire. 

Mr.  GISBORNE  has  been  in  Parliament  since  the  passing  of 
the  Reform  Bill;  but  brought  himself  into  more  extensive 
notice  last  Session  than  during  the  whole  of  the  previous 
three.  He  took  a  most  active  part  in  the  efforts  of  the  Libe- 
ral party  to  overthrow  the  Peel  Ministry,  and  contributed  es- 
sentially to  the  success  of  those  efforts.  Some  of  his  speeches 
in  opposition  to  the  Government  of  Sir  Robert,  were  among 
the  best  which  were  delivered  from'  the  Liberal  side  of  the 
house  during  the  two  months'  existence  of  that  Government. 
Latterly  he  took  a  conspicuous  part  both  in  the  Committee  (of 


MR.  GISBORNE.  149 

which  he  was  Chairman)  of  Inquiry  into  the  alleged  bribery 
and  corruption  at  the  Ipswich  election,  and  in  the  proceedings 
adopted  by  the  House  for  the  punishment  of  the  parties  con- 
victed. In  this,  as  in  previous  cases,  he  gave  striking  proof 
of  his  possessing  a  sound  judgment,  united  to  great  energy 
and  determination  of  purpose.  His  conduct  on  the  occasion 
was  the  subject  of  private  eulogy  by  every  one — not  even 
excepting  the  Tories — acquainted  with  it. 

He  is  a  man  of  great  talents.  His  mind  is  vigorous  and 
comprehensive,  and  there  is  much  terseness  in  his  manner  of 
expressing  himself.  There  is  always  stamina  in  what  he 
says.  He  is  not  a  fine  speaker.  He  is  one  of  the  many 
members  in  the  house  who  labour  under  a  defect  in  their 
organs  of  speech  when  attempting  to  pronounce  the  letter  r. 
His  voice  has  something  of  a  clear  yet  strong  tone  about  it. 
He  cannot  be  said  to  speak  fluently;  and  yet,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  an  occasional  stammer,  makes  his  speeches  without 
any  seeming  effort.  His  speeches  are  usually  short;  but 
there  is  more  matter  in  them  than  in  those  of  many  other 
honourable  members  of  four  or  five  times  the  length.  Every 
thing  he  says  tells  directly  on  the  point  at  issue.  He  does 
not  use  much  gesticulation:  he  generally  contents  himself 
with  raising  and  lowering  his  right  arm,  with  more  or  less 
violence,  according  to  the  warmth  of  his  feelings  at  the 
time. 

Mr.  Gisborne  is  rather  a  tall  man,  and  is  otherwise  well- 
proportioned  ;  a  large  part  of  his  head  is  bald ;  the  little  hair 
he  has  on  it  is  of  a  dark  brown.  He  has  a  fine  well-formed 
forehead.  In  the  general  expression  of  his  countenance,  you 
would  not  be  struck  with  anything  as  particularly  indicative 
of  a  superior  mind.  His  complexion  is  fair,  and  his  features 
are  strongly  marked.  He  dresses  with  great  plainness.  He 
almost  invariably  wears  a  blue  coat,  with  dark  or  light  waist- 
coat and  trowsers,  according  to  the  season  of  the  year.  His 
trowsers  are  generally  remarkable  for  their  shortness.  They 
remind  one  of  schoolboy-days,  being  two  or  three  inches  from 
the  upper  part  of  the  shoes,  and  showing  the  stockings  to  ad- 
vantage. 

Mr.  Gisborne  is  much  respected  by  men  of  all  parties,  both 
for  his  talents  and  his  upright  and  consistent  public  conduct. 
He  is  always  listened  to  with  the  greatest  attention  by  all 
parts  of  the  house.     He  is  about  fifty  years  of  age. 
13* 


150  MR.  WARBURTON. — MR.  CHARLES  DULLER. 

Mr.  WARBURTON,  the  member  for  Bridport,  has  many  points 
of  resemblance  to  Mr.  Gisborne.  In  personal  appearance 
they  are  very  much  alike,  with  this  difference,  that  Mr.  \Var- 
burton  is  not  so  tall,  while  he  is  considerably  older.  Mr. 
Warburton  is  also  partially  bald-headed,  and  what  hair  re- 
mains on  his  head  is  of  a  dark  brown  colour.  His  complexion 
is  likewise  dark,  and  his  features  are  strongly  marked.  Like 
Mr.  Gisborne,  he  also  dresses  with  great  plainness,  and  is 
scarcely  ever  to  be  seen  in  any  other  than  a  blue  coat.  He 
is  not  an  attractive  speaker.  His  voice  is  naturally  bad,  and 
his  elocution  is  partially  impaired  by  a  slight  lisp.  His  man- 
ner is  cold,  though  no  man  is  more  sincere  or  decided  in  his 
opinions.  He  scarcely  uses  any  action.  He  is  often  inaudi- 
ble. But  though  his  manner  is  bad,  his  matter,  like  that  of 
Mr.  Gisborne's,  is  always  good.  It  is  true,  he  has  not  the 
same  masculine  mind;  but  he  possesses  an  excellent  judg- 
ment, and  is  one  of  the  most  intelligent  men  in  the  house ; 
what  he  says  is  always  to  the  purpose;  and  the  view  he  takes 
of  a  subject  is,  in  most  cases,  so  obviously  the  right  one,  that 
what  he  says  cannot  fail  to  commend  itself  to  the  reason  of 
those  who  are  blessed  with  that  faculty.  In  committees,  he 
is,  perhaps,  one  of  the  most  useful  of  the  whole  six  hundred 
and  fifty-eight.  He  is  now  considerably  advanced  in  years, 
his  age  being  about  sixty. 

Mr.  CHARLES  BULLER,  the  member  for  Liskeworth,  is  a 
young  man  of  considerable  promise.  He  is  well  informed  on 
most  of  the  subjects  which  come  before  the  house.  He  is 
distinguished  for  acuteness  rather  than  for  any  great  grasp  of 
mind.  His  forte  lies  in  reply.  His  answers  to  the  speeches 
of  his  opponents  are  often  pervaded  by  a  vein  of  good-natured 
but  happy  satire.  He  often  turns  their  own  arguments  against 
themselves  with  excellent  effect.  He  is  a  fluent  speaker,  but 
his  voice  is  too  weak  and  monotonous  for  his  ever  becoming 
an  impressive  one.  His  utterance  is  so  rapid,  and  his  matter 
is  often  so  argumentative,  that  it  is  only  by  the  closest  atten- 
tion you  can  appreciate  the  merits  of  his  speeches.  He  usea 
very  little  gesture,  and  that  little  chiefly  consists  of  his  occa- 
sionally striking  the  palm  of  his  left  hand  with  the  fore  part 
of  his  right  hand.  He  is  understood  to  be  a  frequent  contri- 
butor of  leading  articles  to  the  Globe  Newspaper:  the  Times 
has,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  identified  him  with  the 
editorship;  but  the  Times  has  been  misinformed  on  the  sub- 
ject 


MR.  EWART. — MR.  ELLICE.  151 

The  conformation  of  Mr.  Buller's  face  is  of  a  peculiar  cast. 
He  has  a  projecting1  forehead,  and  a  small,  flat,  cocked-tip 
nose.  His  physiognomy  very  much  resembles  that  expression 
of  countenance  which  is  characteristic  of  natives  of  the  south 
of  Ireland,  and  which  it  is  much  easier  to  imagine  in  one's 
mind  than  to  convey  an  idea  of  by  description.  He  is  good- 
tempered,  and  of  mild  and  conciliatory  manners.  There  is  a 
perpetual  smile  and  expression  of  cheerfulness  in  his  face. 
His  complexion  is  fair,  and  his  hair  of  a  bright  brown  colour. 
He  is  a  general  favourite  in  the  house.  His  age  is  under 
forty. 

Mr.  EWART,  the  member  for  Liverpool,  is  one  whose  name 
very  often  appears  in  the  reports  of  the  Parliamentary  de- 
bates. He  speaks  occasionally  on  subjects  of  general  politics; 
but  he  acquits  himself  most  creditably  on  commercial  ques- 
tions, with  the  most  of  which  he  seems  to  be  intimately  con- 
versant. He  never  makes  long  speeches ;  the  longest  he 
ever  has  made,  have  been  those  with  which  he  has  prefaced  a 
motion,  which  he  has  made  each  Session  for  the  last  three 
years,  to  equalize  the  duties  on  East  and  West-India  sugar. 
He  speaks  with  considerable  ease,  and  with  much  rapidity. 
His  language  is  correct  without  being  eloquent:  he  is  not, 
and  never  will  be,  an  effective  speaker.  His  voice  is  pleasant 
but  weak :  he  has  not  the  slightest  control  over  it.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  monotonous  speakers  in  the  house.  His  manner, 
too,  is  cold  and  spiritless.  He  never  seems  to  feel  what  he 
says.  The  only  gesticulation  he  ever  uses  is  a  slight  move- 
ment of  his  right  arm.  He  is  nevertheless  much  respected 
in  the  house,  and  is  generally  listened  to,  by  those  to  whom 
he  is  audible,  with  attention.  He  is  very  decided  in  his  poli- 
tical opinions,  and  is  firm  and  fearless  in  the  expression  of 
them.  He  is  a  man  of  very  respectable  talents,  and  of  un- 
blemished private  as  well  as  public  character.  He  possesses 
a  humane  mind,  and  has  greatly  distinguished  himself  by  his 
unremitting  efforts  to  modify  the  sanguinary  character  of  our 
Criminal  Code. 

Mr.  Ewart  is  in  stature  about  the  middle  size,  and  of  a 
Blender  make.  His  complexion  is  somewhat  sallow.  His 
features  are  regular,  and  his  face,  altogether,  handsome.  His 
hair  is  of  a  dark  brown,  and  he  generally  wears  it  long.  He 
is  a  young  man,  being  only  about  thirty-five  years  of  age. 

Mr.  ELLICE,  the  member  for  Coventry,  is  a  man  who  is  al- 
ways listened  to  with  great  attention  in  the  house,  and  who 


152  MR.  THOMAS  ATTWOOD. 

exercises  some  influence  there,  though  he  does  not  speak 
otb'ii.  Last  Session  he  made  only  one  speech  worthy  the 
name  :  this  was  owing  to  ill  health,  which  made  it  impossible 
for  him  to  attend  to  his  Parliamentary  duties.  The  speech  I 
refer  to  \vus  made  on  Mr.  ShiePs  motion  respecting  the  ap- 
pointment of  the  Marquis  of  Londonderry  to  the  office  of 
British  Ambassador  at  the  Court  of  Russia.  Mr.  Ell  ice  then 
chiefly  repelled  the  attacks  which  had  been  made,  in  the 
course  of  the  discussion,  on  the  first  Government  of  Lord 
Melbourne,  of  which  he  was  a  prominent  member.  To  these 
attacks  Mr.  Ellice  replied  with  great  energy  and  effect.  He 
is  not  a  fine  speaker,  but  when  addressing  the  house  on  any 
question  involving  important  principles,  he  always  speaks 
with  much  animation  and  feeling,  and,  as  already  remarked, 
commands  the  deepest  attention  of  the  house.  His  voice  is 
strong  and  powerful,  though  not  without  a  degree  of  huski- 
ness  which  is  not  always  pleasant  to  the  ear:  his  command 
over  it  seems  to  be  complete;  he  raises  it  and  lowers  it  at 
pleasure,  and  with  excellent  effect.  His  utterance  is  usually 
rapid,  but  is  sometimes  impeded  by  his  ideas  crowding  too 
fast  on  his  mind.  His  action,  when  his  manner  is  animated, 
is  generally  violent.  His  use  of  his  arms  is  extravagant  on 
such  occasions,  and  he  turns  about  his  whole  body  from  one 
part  of  the  house  to  another,  in  a  manner  not  unlike  the  move- 
ments of  a  weathercock  on  a  windy  day.  In  stature  he  is 
above  the  middle  size,  and  very  corpulent.  His  face  is  round, 
his  complexion  sallow,  and  his  hair  of  a  dark  brown.  His 
countenance  has  a  good-natured  expression  about  it;  but  is  by 
no  means  intellectual.  He  is,  however,  a  man  of  superior 
talents.  His  principles  are  liberal  in  the  extreme,  though  not 
absolutely  Radical.  He  was  understood  to  be  the  most  Libe- 
ral member  of  Lord  Melbourne's  first  Cabinet,  and  certainly 
he  was  one  of  the  most  honest  men  in  it,  as  well  as  the  boldest 
and  most  uncompromising  in  the  assertion  of  his  opinions. 
The  delicate  state  of  his  health,  which  renders  a  residence  in 
Italy  desirable,  is  the  cause  assigned  by  Lord  Melbourne's 
friends  for  his  not  having  been  included  in  the  arrangements 
for  the  reconstruction  of  that  nobleman's  Cabinet.  Mr.  Ellice 
is  apparently  about  fifty  years  of  age. 

Mr.  THOMAS  ATTWOOD,  the  member  for  Birmingham,  does 
not  possess  that  weight  or  influence  in  the  house,  which  his 
great  popularity  and  influence  among  Reformers  out  of  doors 
would  have  led  one  to  expect  before  his  election.  His  poli- 


MR.  ATTWOOD.  153 

tics  are  the  extreme  of  liberality ;  but  he  is  not  a  man  of  ex- 
tensive information  or  of  a  vigorous  mind.  With  the  Cur- 
rency Question,  indeed,  he  is  most  intimately  acquainted;  but 
his  knowledge  of  politics  generally  is  but  limited.  He  is  a 
man  of  one  idea :  that  idea  is  the  necessity  of  a  paper  currency. 
This  he  holds  to  be  the  only  panacea  for  the  evils  of  the 
country — this  the  grand  remedy  for  national  distress.  Hence, 
whatever  be  the  subject  of  debate — whether  the  Quadruple . 
Treaty  of  Alliance — the  Emancipation  of  the  Negroes  in  the 
West-Indies — the  Policy  of  Russia — Triennial  Parliaments— 
the  Vote  by  Ballot — Poor  Laws  for  Ireland,  or  anything  else 
— he  is  sure,  if  he  take  any  part  in  the  discussion,  to  lug  in  a 
small  note  currency,  and  to  hammer  away  at  the  idea  through 
at  least  three-fourths  of  his  speech,  whether  long  or  short.  I 
never  yet  knew  him  make  a  speech  since  his  admission  into 
Parliament,  in  which  the  staple  matter  was  not  a  paper  cur- 
rency. 

Mr.  Attwood  is  a  man  of  much  private  worth,  and  his  public 
character  stands  unblemished.  There  is  not  a  more  honest 
politician  in  the  house.  He  knows  not  what  it  is  to  com- 
promise or  conceal  his  opinions.  The  word  expediency  has 
no  place  in  his  vocabulary.  You  see  the  mind  of  the  man  the 
moment  he  opens  his  mouth  ;  and  you  see  him  to  be  as  unso- 
phisticated as  if  he  had  never  for  one  moment  inhaled  the 
atmosphere  of  a  region — instead  of  breathing  it  for  three 
years — in  which  trimming,  and  compromise,  and  apostacy,  are 
often  the  order  of  the  day. 

As  a  speaker  Mr.  Attwood  does  not  rank  high.  He  speaks 
with  sufficient  ease,  and  his  language,  without  being  polished, 
is  tolerably  correct;  but  he  has  a  broad,  gruff,  unearthly  voice, 
aggravated  by  a  stro'ng  provincial  pronunciation,  which  sounds 
strangely  in  the  ears  of  those  who  hear  him.  If  you  heard 
Mr.  Attwood  speaking,  and  did  not  see  or  know  who  he  was, 
you  would  be  sure  to  conclude  that  some  uneducated  farmer 
was  addressing  you.  The  word  Birmingham  he  always,  in 
the  broadest  possible  accent,  pronounces  "  Brummagem ;"  and 
this,  too,  though  every  time  he  does  it,  he  is  greeted  by  the 
loud  laughter  of  the  house.  His  gesture  is  not  violent,  neither 
can  it  be  said  to  be  ungraceful.  It  principally  consists  of  a 
gentle  movement,  up  and  down,  of  his  right  arm,  accompanied 
with  a  slight  occasional  movement  of  his  eye  and  face  from 
one  part  of  the  house  to  the  other. 

Mr.  Attwood  is  about  forty-five  years  of  age.     He  is  middle- 


154  MR.  ROEBUCK. 

sized,  and  proportionally  stout.  His  face  has  not  an  intel- 
lectual expression.  Like  his  pronunciation,  it  is  "  countri- 
fied." It  is  of  an  angular  conformation.  His  hair  and  his 
complexion  are  both  dark. 

Mr.  ROEBUCK'S  politics  are  substantially  the  same  as  those 
of  Mr.  Attwood ;  but  he  is  a  very  different  person,  in  many 
respects.  A  fracas  with  an  opponent,  at  the  time  he  was 
elected  member  for  Bath,  gave  him  the  character  of  an  ill- 
tempered  and  easily-irritated  man.  His  conduct  in  the  house, 
as  well  as  out  of  it,  has  proved  the  character  he  then  got  was 
a  just  one.  You  see  the  cynic  in  his  face.  He  is  one  of  thu 
most  petulant  and  discontented,  and  at  the  same  time,  con- 
ceited-looking men  in  the  house.  He  is  full  of  airs.  He  is, 
in  his  own  eye,  one  of  the  most  important  men  within  the 
walls  of  Parliament.  He  not  only  must  needs  speak  on  every 
question  of  importance — that  is  to  say,  if  he  is  sufficiently  for- 
tunate to  catch  the  Speaker's  eye — as  if  there  were  some- 
thing oracular  in  everything  he  says;  but  lie  has  the  pre- 
sumption often  to  attempt  to  get  possession  of  the  house,  im- 
mediately after  some  of  the  ablest  members  of  the  Opposition 
have  spoken,  with  the  view  of  replying  to  them.  He  is  a  man 
of  fair  talents,  but  nothing  move.  He  speaks  with  consider- 
able fluency  when  he  makes  a  set  speech,  because,  in  that 
case,  he  writes  it  out  at  full  length,  and  commits  it  to  memory 
in  the  same  way  as  a  school-boy  does  his  task ;  but  when  he 
attempts  speaking  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  he  often  stam- 
mers, and  has  to  correct  and  re-correct  his  ilKconstracted 
sentences.  His  voice  is  feeble,  but  clear  and  distinct  in  its 
tones.  His  favourite  gesture  is  to  raise  his  right  arm,  spread 
out  his  fingers,  and  turn  his  face  and  body  from  one  part  of 
the  house  to  the  other;  but  when  he  flatters  himself — which 
he  often  does — that  he  is  saying  something  unusually  clever 
and  of  commanding  importance,  he  strikes  the  books  or  box 
on  the  table  with  his  right  hand,  with  great  violence, — having, 
before  commencing  his  speech,  removed,  for  that  purpose, 
from  his  usual  seat  to  one  close  to  the  table. 

Mr.  Roebuck  is  diminutive  in  person.  He  is  much  under 
the  middle  size,  and  is  so  slender  withal  that  he  has  quite  a 
boyish  appearance.  His  countenance  is  of  a  pale  and  sickly 
complexion ;  it  has  very  little  flesh  on  it.  His  nose  is  rather 
prominent,  and  his  eyes  are  disproportionately  large  and  sunk- 
en. There  is  a  scowl  so  visibly  impressed  on  his  brow,  that 
the  merest  novice  in  physiognomy  must  observe  it.  He  is  in 


MR.  WARD.  155 

his  thirty-third  year.  He  is  not  a  favourite  in  the  house,  and 
the  limited  popularity  he  has  acquired  out  of  doors,  seems  to 
be  on  the  decline.  He  is  not  only  the  author  of  the  political 
pamphlets  which  are  published  weekly  in  his  name ;  but  has 
written  various  articles  for  some  years  past  in  the  Westmin- 
ster Review,  Taifs  Magazine,  and  the  London  Review.  Of 
the  latter  work,  indeed,  he  is  one  of  the  leading  contributors, 
his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Thomas  Falconer,  being  the  editor. 

Mr.  WARD,  the  member  for  St.  Albans,  though  so  little 
known  a  fetv  years  ago  that  his  name  was  hardly  ever  men- 
tioned out  of  doors,  is  now  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in  the 
country.  I  mention,  as  a  striking  instance  of  Mr.  Ward's 
popularity  out  of  doors,  that  it  was  intended, — though  I  am  not 
sure  he  is  up  to  this  moment  himself  aware  of  it, — to  in- 
vite him  to  stand  at  the  last  election  for  the  burgh  of  Maryle- 
bone,  in  opposition  to  Sir  William  Home,  and  in  the  same 
interest  as  Sir  Samuel  Whalley.  A  resolution  to  this  effect 
was  agreed  on  by  a  large  majority  of  the  leading  men  in  the 
burgh,  and  there  could  not  have  been  a  doubt  of  Mr.  Ward's 
return — which  his  admirers  engaged  should  be  effected  free 
of  expense  to  him — but  it  was  stated  most  confidently  by  indi- 
viduals who  affected  to  speak  advisedly,  that  he  and  his  con- 
stituents at  St.  Albans  were  so  attached  to  each  other,  that  he 
would  not  on  any  consideration  sever  the  friendly  connection. 
The  electors  of  Marylebone,  therefore,  were  induced  to  look 
out  for  another  person  to  represent  them,  when,  owing  to  a 
variety  of  accidental  circumstances,  the  choice  fell  on  Mr. 
Henry  Lytton  Bulwer. 

It  was  Mr.  Ward's  celebrated  motion,  with  the  speech 
which  preceded  it,  in  1834,  affirming  the  right  of  Parliament 
to  appropriate  the  surplus  property  of  the  Church  of  Ireland 
to  other  than  ecclesiastical  purposes, — that  first  brought  him 
into  notice.  Before  then  owing  in  some  measure  to  his  long 
residence  abroad,  his  political  principles  were  unknown  to 
almost  all  members  in  the  house.  The  general  impression, 
indeed,  was  that  he  was  a  Tory.  But  that  motion,  and  the 
bold  and  able  speech  with  which  he  prefaced  it,  at  once  earned 
for  him  the  reputation  of  being  a  man  of  liberal  opinions  and 
of  superior  talents.  Since  then  Mr.  Ward  has  often  spoken 
on  important  questions,  and  every  speech  he  has  made  has 
confirmed  the  accuracy  of  the  impression  formed  regarding 
him  from  the  speech  and  motion  to  which  I  have  referred. 

He  is  not  a  fine  speaker.     There  is  too  much  tameness  in 


156  LORD  DUDLEY  STUART. 

his  manner;  and  his  voice  is  quite  monotonous.  It  has  also  a 
certain 'degree  of  huskiness  about  it.  He  speaks  with  much 
rapidity,  and  seemingly  with  great  ease.  His  style  is  terse 
and  vigorous?,  and  his  matter  is  in  most  cases  highly  argu- 
mentative. He  is  much  respected  in  the  house  by  men  of  all 
parties. 

Mr.  Ward  is  about  forty  years  of  age.  He  is  rather  tall 
and  athletic.  His  complexion  is  florid.  His  face  is  full  and 
round.  His  nose  inclines  to  flatness.  His  hair  is  of  a  light 
brown.  He  sports  unusually  large  whiskers.  His  counte- 
nance has  a  pleasing  good-natured  expression,  but  has  nothing 
particularly  intellectual  about  it.  He  is  the  son  of  Mr. 
Ward,  the  celebrated  author  of  Tremaine,  and  other  popular 
novels,  and  is  often  confounded  with  him. 

L.ORD  DUDLEY  STUART,  member  for  Arundel,  is  a  nobleman 
whose  name  does  not  appear  very  often  in  the  reports  of  the 
debates  in  the  house;  but  he  has  strong  claims  on  every 
friend  of  freedom  and  humanity  were  it  only  for  the  exertions 
he  made  in  favour  of  the  Poles,  both  within  and  without  the 
house,  at  the  time  of  their  late  great  struggle  with  the  north- 
ern despot.  Events  have  proved  that  he  felt  much  more 
strongly  in  the  cause  of  Poland  than  did  Mr.  Cutlar  Ferguson, 
though  the  latter  managed  to  make  a  much  greater  parade  of 
his  exertions  in  that  country's  behalf.  Lord  Dudley  Stuart's 
sympathy  with  the  Poles  was  fervent,  pure,  and  lasting.  It 
had  its  origin  in  the  best  principles  of  our  common  nature,  and 
was  fed  and  perpetuated  by  that  which  called  it  into  existence. 
His  was  the  feeling  of  a  Christian,  and  a  lover  of  his  race. 
His  exertions,  first  to  avert  their  re-subjugation  by  Nicholas, 
and  afterwards  to  administer  pecuniary  relief  to  such  of  them 
as  escaped  to  this  country,  were  most  strenuous  and  unremit- 
ting; and  I  could  speak, — but  I  know  his  modesty  of  disposi- 
tion would  make  him  prefer  my  silence  on  the  subject, — I 
could  speak  as  to  the  extent  of  his  own  pecuniary  liberality. 
But  it  is  not  the  Poles  alone  who  have  found  in  him  a  warm 
friend  and  a  zealous  advocate  in  the  time  of  need.  Whenever 
the  great  principles  of  humanity  are  brought  into  collision,  in 
the  house  or  out  of  the  house,  with  those  of  an  opposite  char- 
acter, he  is  always  to  be  found  at  his  post.  All  the  exertions 
which  have  of  late  been  made  to  put  a  stop  to  those  frightful 
instances  of  cruelty  to  the  brute  creation,  which  are  so  com- 
mon in  the  metropolis,  have  been  most  cordially  and  effi- 
ciently seconded  by  Lord  Dudley  Stuart. 


,       MR.  PEASE.  157 

As  a  speaker  he  has  little  or  no  pretensions.  He  feels 
great  difficulty  in  finding  words  wherewith  to  express  his 
tlioughts.  This  chiefly  arises  from  his  extreme  modesty.  His 
voice  is  weak,  and  not  very  clear.  He  is  in  his  thirty-second 
year.  He  is  tall  and  slender  in  person.  His  hair  is  of  a 
dark  brown,  and  his  complexion  something  between  dark  and 
sallow.  His  countenance  has  a  mild  and  pensive  expression. 
In  his  features  there  is  nothing  peculiar. 

Mr.  PEASE,  the  Quaker  Member  for  Durham,  is  one  of  the 
most  useful,  though  not  one  of  the  most  shining,  members  in 
the  house.  In  his  attendance  on  his  legislative  duties  he  is 
the  most  punctual  and  close  of  any  man  I  ever  saw.  He  even 
beats  Mr.  Hume  himself.  From  the  beginning  of  the  business 
till  the  adjournment,  no  matter  how  late  the  hour,  there  he  is, 
not  indeed  in  one  particular  seat,  but  in  some  part  or  other  of 
the  house,  all  attention  to  what  is  going  on.  It  is  clear  he 
acts  from  principle.  As  to  a  party  object,  he  knows  not  what 
it  is.  A  more  conscientious  or  upright  man  never  sat  in  the 
house.  His  amazingly  close  attention  to  his  duties  in  parlia- 
ment has  told  visibly  on  his  constitution.  He  is  much  thinner, 
and  much  more  sallow  in  his  complexion,  than  when  he  en- 
tered the  house. 

Mr.  Pease  speaks  pretty  often,  but  it  is  chiefly  in  Commit- 
tees, or  on  questions  which  do  not  call  up  the  leading  members. 
His  mode  of  address  is,  of  course,  different  from  that  of  other 
members.  He  never  uses  the  word  "  Sir,"  in  addressing  the 
Speaker,  which  all  other  members  do  at  almost  every  fourth 
or  fifth  sentence ;  nor  does  he  call  any  member,  according  to 
the  invariable  practice  of  all  other  members  when  addressing 
the  house,  "  the  honourable  member,"  but  simply  says  "  the 
member"  for  such  a  place.  In  short,  agreeably  to  the  princi- 
ples of  the  society  to  which  he  belongs,  he  applies  no  honorary 
titles  to  any  one. 

He  speaks  with  great  rapidity,  and  is  never  at  a  loss  for 
words  or  ideas.  His  style  is  correct  but  plain.  In  his  manner 
there  is  no  action  whatever.  He  stands  stock  still.  His 
voice  is  weak,  which,  with  his  great  rapidity  of  utterance, 
often  renders  him  inaudible. 

He  is  about  forty-five  years  of  age.  His  stature  is  of  the 
middle  size.  His  face  is  of  an  angular  form,  and  is  expressive 
of  the  mildness  and  intelligence  for  which  he  is  distinguished. 
His  complexion,  as  I  have  already  intimated,  is  somewhat  sal- 
low, and  his  hair  of  a  light  brown.  He  is  not  a  man  of  brilliant 
14 


158  SIR  EDWARD  CODRINOTON. 

parts;  but  his  judgment  is  remarkably  sound,  and  he  always 
takes  the  common-sense  view  of  a  subject.  He  is  not  only  a 
man  of  great  intelligence,  but  is  always  correct  in  the  state- 
ments he  brings  to  bear  on  any  question.  Taken  all  in  all, 
he  is,  as  I  observed  in  the  outset,  one  of  the  most  useful 
members  in  the  house.  If  he  is  a  fair  specimen  of  the  society 
to  which  he  belongs,  the  country  would  have  no  reason  for 
regret  were  the  entire  six  hundred  and  fifty-eight  members 
selected  from  the  Society  of  Friends. 

Sir  EDWARD  CODRINGTON,  member  for  Devonport,  is  better 
known  for  his  exploits  as  a  naval  officer  than  for  anything  he 
has  yet  done  or  is  likely  to  do  as  a  statesman.  His  splendid 
achievement  at  Navarino  will  be  remembered,  when  the  fact 
of  his  having  been  a  senator  has  been  long  forgotten.  His 
name,  however,  comes  pretty  frequently  before  the  public  in 
the  latter  capacity.  He  speaks  a  good  deal,  though  never 
much  at  a  time.  When  naval  matters  are  brought  before  the 
house,  he  is  sure  to  speak.  On  the  subject  of  impressment  in 
the  navy,  and  on  that  of  the  abolition  of  flogging  in  the  army, 
he  has  always  taken  a  lively  interest.  He  is  not  a  Radical  in 
the  fullest  acceptation  of  the  term ;  but  he  goes  much  farther 
than  the  Whigs  of  the  old  school.  He  is  an  advocate  for  Free 
Trade,  for  a  Repeal  of  the  Corn  Laws,  the  Abolition  of  the 
Assessed  Taxes,  for  the  Vote  by  Ballot,  and  for  Shortening  the 
Duration  of  Parliaments.  Notwithstanding,  however,  the 
liberality  of  his  sentiments,  he  is  not  very  popular,  even 
among  the  Liberals.  What  the  reason  of  this  is,  I  do  not 
exactly  know.  He  is  not  a  fine  speaker :  there  is  nothing  at- 
tractive in  his  manner,  and  nothing  indicative  of  superior 
talent  in  his  matter;  his  ideas  are  usually  common-place, 
though  generally  marked  by  good  sense,  and  his  language  has 
something  of  the  roughness  of  the  sailor  about  it;  his  voice  is 
clear,  but  not  strong.  His  articulation  is  sufficiently  distinct, 
but  there  is  something  of  a  provincial  accent  about  it.  There 
is  no  variety  in  the  tones  of  his  voice :  it  is  monotonous  at  all 
times  and  on  all  subjects.  He  speaks  with  seeming  ease  and 
somewhat  rapidly.  His  speeches  produce  but  little  impression 
in  the  house :  indeed  they  are  not  listened  to  with  any  very 
great  attention. 

His  personal  appearance  is  rather  venerable.  He  is  seem- 
ingly about  sixty  years  of  age.  His  face  is  angular;  his 
complexion  has  something  of  ruddiness  about  it ;  his  hair  is 
white,  but  the  process  of  becoming  bald  has  begun,  and  may 


MR.  WALLACE.  159 

be  expected  to  advance  with  some  rapidity  in  a  person  of  his 
age,  and  long  and  active  maritime  service.  He  is  tall,  and  of 
a  somewhat  handsome  figure.  He  usually  wears  a  blue  coat. 
Mr.  WALLACE,  the  member  for  Greenock,  is  one  of  the  few 
decidedly  Radical  representatives  returned  by  Scotland.  His 
great  characteristics  are,  honesty  of  purpose  and  plainness  of 
manners.  I  believe  his  integrity  has  never  been  questioned. 
The  Tories  are  always  forward  to  admit,  however  much  they 
may  conceive  him  in  error,  that  he  is  himself  on  all  occasions 
thoroughly  convinced  he  is  in  the  right.  There  is  a  kind  of 
primitive  simplicity  in  his  manners.  He  has  much  of  that 
homeliness  about  him  which  is  often  to  be  met  with  in  his  own 
country.  Nothing  would  prevail  on  him,  though  he  could  do 
it  successfully — which,  however,  he  could  not — to  affect  the 
airs  of  a  fashionable  man.  He  loves  what  he  calls  the  sim- 
plicity and  artlessness  of  nature  ;  and  is  just  such  a  person  as 
would  remain  the  same  in  his  manners — let  the  etiquette  and 
fashions  of  society  change  as  often  as  they  pleased — though 
he  were  to  reach  the  good  old  age  of  Methuselah.  Mr.  Wal- 
lace dresses  well,  though  plainly.  You  see  his  manners  the 
moment  you  see  his  person.  In  height  he  is  about  the  middle 
size.  Without  being,  strictly  speaking,  corpulent,  he  is 
stoutly  and  compactly  made.  His  head  is  in  a  great  measure 
bald :  what  hair  there  is  on  it  is  white  as  unsunned  snow. 
His  forehead  is  rather  low  and  slanting.  His  complexion  is 
fair,  and  has  the  freshness  of  health  about  it.  Wrinkles  begin 
to  show  themselves  in  his  face,  which  inclines  to  the  rotund 
form.  He  has  small,  dark  blue,  laughing  eyes,  strongly  ex- 
pressive of  a  contented  and  good-natured  disposition.  His 
nose  is  unusually  flat.  Whenever  he  speaks  you  would  think 
he  was  smiling.  He  is,  practically,  one  of  the  greatest  utili- 
tarians— according,  of  course,  to  his  own  notions  of  utility — 
in  the  house,  and  is,  like  Mr.  Hume,  a  remarkable  instance 
of  what  a  man  of  very  humble  talents  may  accomplish  by  mere 
dint  of  perseverance.  The  two  great  subjects  to  which  he 
has  almost  exclusively  bent  his  attention  since  he  has  been  in 
the  house,  are  a  Reform  in  the  Law  Courts  of  Scotland,  and  a 
Reform  in  the  Post-office.  The  former  object  has  been  al- 
ready accomplished  to  a  certain  extent :  the  latter  is  on  the 
eve  of  being  fully  gained.  I  remember  some  years  since, 
when  he  first  brought  the  alleged  abuses  in  the  Post-office 
system  under  the  consideration  of  the  house,  and  sought  to 
get  the  whole  system  re-modelled,  that  he  was  regarded  by  all 


160  MR.  WALLACE. 

parties,  not  even  excepting  the  most  sanguine  Radicals  in  the 
house,  as  having  engaged  in  one  of  the  most  hopeless  enter- 
prises ever  undertaken  by  a  human  being.  Neither  Whigs 
nor  Tories  would  even  hear  his  detail  of  the  alleged  abuses, 
or  "  lend  their  ears"  while  he  submitted  his  proposed  plan  of 
Reform.  The  bringing  forward  of  his  motion  on  the  subject, 
and  his  speaking  two  or  three  hours  on  it,  were  hailed  by  the 
great  majority  of  members  as  constituting  a  sort  of  episode  in 
the  usual  business  of  the  house,  during  which  honourable 
members  might  either,  as  best  suited  themselves,  quit  the 
house  altogether,  or  remain  and  talk  over  with  each  other  any 
topics  they  pleased.  Mr.  Wallace,  however,  never  seemed  in 
the  least  disheartened  by  this,  but  plodded  through  his  statistics 
and  calculations  with  as  much  apparent  self-satisfaction  as  if 
the  house  had  been  all  attention.  Every  year  since  he  began 
he  has  had  a  grand  post-office  h'eld-day,  and  the  result  has 
been,  that  there  is  now  every  prospect  of  the  post-office  de- 
partment speedily  undergoing  that  extensive  reform  for  which 
Mr.  Wallace  has  laboured  so  long  and  so  assiduously.  When 
he  had  finished  the  speech  with  which  he  prefaced,  in  the  be- 
ginning of  last  August,  his  last  motion  on  the  subject — a 
speech  which  occupied  three  hours  in  the  delivery — both 
Whigs  and  Tories  admitted  the  necessity  of  reform  in  the 
post-office  to  a  very  considerable  extent.  Lord  Lowther,  Mr. 
Vernon  Smith,  and  other  members — not  even  excepting  Mr. 
Spring  Rice — whose  situations  more  immediately  connected 
them  with  the  post-office,  all  in  substance  conceded  the  point 
which  Mr.  Wallace  contended  for. 

Mr.  Wallace  is  not,  as  already  hinted,  a  man  of  much  in- 
tellect. He  has  no  comprehensive  views  on  great  questions. 
No  one  knows  this  better  than  himself — I  wish  I  could  say  as 
much  of  many  other  honourable  members — and  he  conse- 
quently never  seeks  to  address  the  house  on  topics  involving 
first  principles.  These  he  very  wisely  leaves  to  those  of  more 
enlarged  views  and  greater  experience  in  such  matters.  He 
acts  on  the  modern  principle  in  political  economy, — though 
making  no  pretensions  to  the  character  of  a  political  econo- 
mist,— of  a  division  of  labour.  He  has  taken  up  the  two  ques- 
tions which  I  have  mentioned ;  to  them  he  confines  himself, 
and  from  them  nothing  will  divert  his  attention,  according  to 
his  own  statement,  until  he  has  succeeded  in  accomplishing 
the  reforms  which  he  maintains  to  be  so  imperatively  called 
for.  He  is  a  very  indifferent  speaker.  He  is  always  audible, 


MR.  SERJEANT  WILDE.  161 

but  there  is  something  hard  and  shrill  about  his  voice  which 
grates  on  the  ear :  it  has  no  flexibility:  it  is  the  same  key  and 
the  same  tones  from  beginning  to  end.  His  enunciation  is 
rapid ;  occasionally,  but  not  often,  he  stammers  slightly.  His 
language  has  no  pretensions  to  eloquence :  it  is  plain  and  un- 
polished. I  could  never  discover  a  single  elegant  expression 
or  rounded  period  in  any  of  his  speeches.  He  uses  hardly  any 
gesture  when  speaking :  never  anything  more  than  a  slight 
occasional  movement  of  the  right  arm.  He  is  about  sixty 
years  of  age. 

Mr.  Serjeant  WILDE,  member  for  Newark,  does  not  speak 
very  often.  He  reserves  himself  for  great  occasions,  and  then 
generally  acquits  himself  in  a  highly  creditable  manner.  He 
is  an  excellent  speaker.  His  voice  is  strong,  clear  and  sono- 
rous, though  he  does  not  always  modulate  it  with  the  best 
taste  or  judgment.  His  manner,  too,  is,  on  the  whole,  good. 
It  has  considerable  energy  about  it.  Sometimes  he  assumes  a 
stooping  posture,  which  is  by  no  means  graceful ;  but  usually 
he  stands  erect,  and  slightly  moves  his  face  from  the  right  to 
the  left  of  those  members  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
Speaker's  chair.  I  should  mention,  that  when  he  speaks  he 
always  does  so  from  the  floor  of  the  house,  to  which  he  ad- 
vances three  or  four  feet  from  the  front  row  of  benches.  The 
side  of  the  house  depends,  of  course,  on  whether  his  party  be 
in  office  or  in  the  Opposition  at  the  time.  His  back  is  turned 
on  the  door,  and  his  lace  directly  towards  the  Speaker,  except 
when,  as  just  remarked,  he  occasionally  glances  his  eye  on 
those  members  on  the  right  or  left  of  the  Chair.  He  makes 
considerable  use  of  his  right  arm  when  speaking.  With  it  he 
beats  the  air  with  some  energy ;  but  when  he  waxes  particu- 
larly warm,  he  raises  both  arms  above  his  head,  and  lets  them 
descend  again  with  great  rapidity.  On  such  occasions  his 
hands  are  usually  firmly  clenched  together.  He  is  generally 
listened  to  with  much  attention  by  all  parties.  His  speeches 
have  much  less  of  declamation  in  them  than  is  generally  to 
be  found  in  the  speeches  of  those  members  who  are  in  the  way 
of  displaying  considerable  energy  of  manner.  They  are  usually 
pervaded,  from  beginning  to  end, — with  the  exception  of  the 
exordium  and  peroration, — by  a  vein  of  close  and  powerful  argu- 
ment. I  have  said  he  does  not  speak  often.  I  do  not  suppose 
he  has  made  above  ten  or  twelve  speeches  of  any  length  or 
importance  during  the  three  Sessions  he  has  been  in  the  house. 
Last  Session,  if  I  remember  right,  he  only  made  one  speech 
14* 


162  MR.  SERJEANT  WILDE. 

of  any  importance;  and  that  one,  which  was  certainly  very 
able  and  highly  argumentative,  and  must  otherwise  have  pro- 
duced a  great  impression,  fell,  as  it  were,  still-born  from  his 
lips,  because  of  the  unseasonable  time  he  chose  for  its  de- 
livery. It  was  on  the  question  of  Municipal  Corporation 
Reform,  but  instead  of  being  delivered,  as  it  ought  to  have 
been,  when  that  question  was  in  Committee, — for  it  will  be 
recollected  that,  owing  to  the  Tories  offering  no  opposition  to 
the  principle  of  the  measure,  no  discussion  or  division  took 
place  on  the  second  reading, — instead,  I  say,  of  the  learned 
gentleman  delivering  his  speech  when  the  bill  was  in  Com- 
mittee, he  did  not  deliver  it  until  about  a  week  before  the 
close  of  the  Session,  when  the  measure  was  sent  back  by  the 
Lords  to  adopt  the  amendments  which  they  had  made  on  it. 
The  subject  had  by  that  time,  at  least  in  so  far  as  mere  dis- 
cussion went,  lost  all  its  interest,  and  therefore  the  house  paid 
little  or  no  attention  to  the  learned  Serjeant's  speech.  He 
saw  this,  and,  in  consequence,  cut  it  comparatively  short ;  for 
though  he  spoke  for  an  hour  and  a  quarter,  it  was  clear,  from 
the  nature  of  the  ground  he  took,  that  the  speech  had  been 
intended  for  a  two  and-a-half  or  three  hours  one.  In  fact,  the 
universal  impression  in  the  house  was,  that  the  speech  had 
been  cut  and  dry,  and,  as  the  booksellers  say,  "  ready  for  de- 
livery," when  the  Municipal  Corporation  Bill  was  in  Com- 
mittee ;  but  some  unforeseen  circumstance  had  prevented  that 
delivery  taking  place.  Probably  that  circumstance  was  the 
claims  which  the  great  mining  cause  of  "  Small  versus  Att- 
wood"  had  at  the  time  on  his  attention,  he  having  had,  as  was 
generally  understood  a  retaining  fee  in  the  case  of  eight  thou- 
sand guineas. 

Mr.  Serjeant  Wilde  is  one  of  those  who  have  raised  them- 
selves from  comparatively  humble  and  obscure  circumstances, 
into  wealth  and  eminence,  by  their  own  talents  and  energy 
of  character.  He  was  originally  an  attorney's  clerk,  but  has 
now  one  of  the  most  lucrative  businesses  at  the  English  bar. 
In  person  he  is  somewhat  above  the  middle  size,  and  stoutly 
and  compactly  formed.  His  complexion  is  fair,  and  his  hair 
of  a  light  brown.  His  eyes  are  large  and  are  full  of  fire  and 
intelligence.  His  forehead  is  prominent.  He  is  good-look- 
ing, and  is  of  gentlemanly  appearance  and  manners.  His  age 
is  about  forty-five. 


MR.  O'CONNELL.  163 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  IRISH  LIBERAL  MEMBERS. 

Mr.  O'Connell — Mr.  Shiel — Mr.  Feargus  O'Connor — Mr.  Henry 
Grattan — Mr.  Ruthven. 

MR.  O'CONNELL  is  not  only  the  most  distinguished  of  the 
Irish  members,  but  he  is  in  some  measure  the  Irish  member. 
His  influence  in  Ireland,  and  in  the  house,  on  all  Irish  sub- 
jects, is  much  greater  than  is  generally  supposed,  although 
admitted  on  all  hands  to  be  of  very  great  extent.  A  very 
large  portion  of  it  is  indirect,  and  is  in  a  great  measure  un- 
known even  to  himself;  for  as  he*is  known  to  lead  and  direct 
public  opinion  in  that  country,  measures  have  been  brought 
forward,  both  by  the  Government  here  and  in  Ireland,  with- 
out his  knowledge,  merely  because  the  Ministry,  or  Lord 
Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  knowing  that  he  will  approve  of  them, 
are  convinced  they  will  be  hailed  with  satisfaction  in  that 
country. 

Mr.  O'Connell's  influence  is  increasing  every  day,  both  in 
Parliament  and  in  the  country.  When  he  first  appeared  in 
the  House  of  Commons,  it  was  comparatively  limited  indeed 
in  that  house,  and  even  in  Ireland  it  was  chiefly  confined  to 
the  lower  classes.  The  fact  is,  that  he  was  then,  and  for  two 
or  three  years  afterwards,  miserably  deficient  in  judgment. 
He  then,  thoughtlessly  and  recklessly,  opposed  himself,  by  his 
strenuous  advocacy  of  the  Repeal  of  the  Union,  not  only  to 
the  prejudices  of  the  house,  but  to  those  of  the  most  respecta- 
ble and  intelligent,  even  of  the  Liberal  party  in  Ireland.  In 
the  expression  of  his  opinions,  which  were  always  extreme, 
on  other  great  political  questions,  he  was  also  imprudent. 
Those  opinions  he  at  all  times  boldly  asserted,  and  regulated 
his  support  or  opposition  to  certain  measures  by  them,  without 
the  least  regard  to  circumstances.  Hence  his  objects  were 
not  only  defeated,  but  his  influence,  instead  of  increasing  only 
diminished  the  oftener  he  spoke  in  the  house.  So  late  as  the 
middle  of  the  Session  of  1834,  when  he  brought  forward  his 
motion  for  the  Repeal  of  the  Union,  his  influence  was  at  a 
very  low — if  not  its  lowest — ebb ;  and  the  opinion  of  many  of 


164  MR.  O'CONNELL. 

his  greatest  friends  was,  that  he  had  then,  in  some  measure, 
sunk  to  rise  no  more. 

Circumstances,  however,  favourable  to  Mr.  O'Connell's  re- 
covery of  his  influence,  occurred  in  November  1834,  and  lie 
had  the  judgment  to  avail  himself  of  them.  The  abrupt  dis- 
missal of  the  Melbourne  Ministry,  and  the  formation  of  a  Go- 
vernment on  Conservative  principles,  in  November  last  year, 
inspired  a  large  proportion  of  the  nation  with  a  hatred  of 
Toryism  and  an  attachment  to  Liberal  principles,  incompara- 
bly greater  than  they  had  ever  felt  before.  Mr.  O'Connell 
sympathized  with  the  opinions  and  feelings  of  the  Movement 
party  on  that  occasion,  and  at  once  proclaimed  himself  the 
friend  of  the  Government  which  had  been  so  suddenly  ejected, 
and  the  relentless  opponent  of  that  which  had  succeeded  it. 
He  buried  in  the  dust  all  his  past  differences  with  the  Mel- 
bourne Ministry,  individually  and  collectively,  and  laid  aside 
all  his  own  peculiar  opinions,  in  order  that  he  might  more 
effectually  grapple  with  what  he  regarded  as  the  common  foe. 
For  the  first  time  his  great  talents  then  began  to  have  full 
scope;  and  from  that  moment  to  the  present,  he  has  acted 
with  the  most  consummate  judgment  and  tact — in  so  far  as 
the  interested  views  of  his  party  are  concerned — and  with  a 
corresponding  effect.  The  result  has  been  to  confer  on  him- 
self an  importance,  and  invest  himself  with  a  power,  for  good 
or  evil,  incomparably  greater  than  the  importance  which  at- 
taches to,  or  the  power  that  is  possessed  by,  any  other  indi- 
vidual of  the  present  day.  In  fact,  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
was,  after  all,  quite  right,  when  he  said  that  no  man  has  pos- 
sessed so  much  power  in  this  country  since  the  revolution 
of  1688. 

Mr.  O'Connell  is  a  man  of  the  highest  order  of  genius. 
There  is  not  a  member  in  the  house  who,  in  this  respect,  can 
for  a  moment  be  put  in  comparison  with  him.  You  see  the 
greatness  of  his  genius  in  almost  every  sentence  he  utters. 
There  are  others — Sir  Robert  Peel,  for  example — who  have 
much  more  tact  and  greater  dexterity  in  debate ;  but  in  point 
of  genius  none  approach  to  him.  It  ever  and  anon  bursts 
forth  with  a  brilliancy  and  effect  which  are  quite  overwhelm- 
ing. You  have  not  well  recovered  from  the  overpowering 
surprise  and  admiration  caused  by  one  of  his  brilliant  effu- 
sions, when  another  flashes  upon  you  and  produces  the  same 
effect.  You  have  no  time,  nor  are  you  in  a  condition  to  weigh 


MR.  O'CONXELL.  165 

the  force  of  his  arguments ;  you  are  taken  captive  wherever 
the  speaker  chooses  to  lead  you,  from  beginning  to  end.  If 
there  be  untenable  propositions  and  inconclusive  reasonings 
in  his  speech,  you  can  only  detect  them  when  he  has  resumed 
his  seat,  and  his  voice  no  longer  greets  your  ear.  What 
greatly  adds  to  the  effect  of  the  effusions  of  Mr.  O'Connell's 
genius  is,  that  you  see  at  once  they  are  perfectly  spontaneous, 
the  result  of  the  feeling  of  the  moment,  and  not  of  careful 
thought  in  a  previous  preparation  of  his  speech.  I  have  known 
him,  times  without  number,  both  in  the  house  and  elsewhere, 
make  some  most  brilliant  and  most  effective  allusions  to  cir- 
cumstances which  had  only  occurred  either  while  speaking, 
or  immediately  before  he  commenced  his  address.  The  re- 
ference to  the  "  last  rose  of  summer,"  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Wal- 
ter, as  noticed  in  the  short  sketch  I  have  given  of  that  gentle- 
man, was  one  among  innumerable  other  instances  of  a  similar 
kind. 

One  of  the  most  extraordinary  attributes  in  Mr.  O'Connell's 
oratory  is  the  ease  and  facility  with  which  he  can  make  a 
transition  from  one  topic  to  another.  "  From  grave  to  gay, 
from  lively  to  severe,"  never  costs  him  an  effort.  He  seems, 
indeed,  to  be  himself  insensible  of  the  transition.  I  have 
seen  him  begin  his  speech  by  alluding  to  topics  of  an  affecting 
nature,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  excite  the  deepest  sympathy 
towards  the  sufferers  in  the  mind  of  the  most  unfeeling  per- 
son present.  I  have  seen,  in  other  words — I  speak  with  re- 
gard to  particular  instances — the  tear  literally  glistening  in 
the  eyes  of  men  altogether  unused  to  the  melting  mood,  and 
in  a  moment  afterwards,  by  a  transition  from  the  grave  to  the 
humorous,  I  have  seen  the  whole  audience  convulsed  with 
laughter.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have  often  heard  him  com- 
mence his  speech  in  a  strain  of  the  most  exquisite  humour, 
and  by  a  sudden  transition  to  deep  pathos,  produce  the  still- 
ness of  death  in  a  place  in  which,  but  one  moment  before,  the 
air  was  rent  with  shouts  of  laughter.  His  mastery  over  the 
passions  is  the  most  perfect  I  ever  witnessed.  He  can  touch, 
—and  touch  with  inimitable  effect, — every  chord  in  the  human 
breast.  The  passions  of  his  audience  are  mere  playthings  in 
his  hand.  If  he  cannot  "  call  spirits  from  the  vasty  deep,"  he 
can  do  as  he  pleases  with  the  spirits  of  those  on  the  confines 
of  the  earth.  Nor  is  Mr.  O'Connell's  complete  power  over 
the  passions  confined  either  to  a  refined  or  to  an  unintellectual 
audience.  It  is  equally  great  in  both  cases.  His  oratory 


166  MR.  O'CONNELI.. 

tells  with  the  same  effect  whether  he  addresses  the  "  first  as- 
sembly of  gentlemen  in  the  world,"  or  the  ragged  and  igno- 
rant rabble  of  Dublin. 

A  very  striking  instance  of  the  powerful  impression  he  is 
capable  of  producing,  occurred  at  a  dinner  given  at  Hackney, 
in  July  last,  to  celebrate  the  successful  registration  of  the 
Liberal  electors  in  the  Tower  Hamlets.  There  were  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  persons  present,  including  several  mem- 
bers of  Parliament.  On  that  occasion  he  dwelt  with  so  much 
eloquence  and  pathos  on  the  fact  of  a  poor  innocent  girl  in 
Ireland  being  killed  by  the  soldiery,  while  enforcing  the  col- 
lection of  tithes,— -of  which  circumstance  intelligence  had 
only  been  received  that  morning, — that  there  was  hardly  a 
dry  eye  in  the  meeting,  and  almost  every  person  present,  im- 
mediately on  the  conclusion  of  his  speech,  rose  from  his  seat, 
and  rushing  up  to  him,  shook  him  most  cordially  by  the  hand, 
although  the  great  majority  were  strangers  to  him.  Modern 
times  cannot  furnish  a  parallel  to  this  splendid  proof  of  the 
effect  produced  by  oratory. 

Mr.  O'Connell  does  not  excel  as  a  reasoner.  His  speeches 
are  seldom  argumentative,  and  when  they  are  intended  to  be 
so,  they  are  by  no  means  happy.  His  great  forte,  when  he 
seeks  to  discomfit  an  opponent,  is  to  laugh  or  banter  him  out 
of  his  positions.  And  here  again  he  stands  alone :  no  man 
in  the  house  at  all  approaches  him  in  the  effectiveness  of  his 
wit  and  ridicule;  and  yet  there  is  no  man,  unless  provoked  to 
it,  who  indulges  in  fewer  personalities. 

Mr.  O'Connell's  style  is  not  polished  or  elegant ;  but  it  is 
terse  and  vigorous.  He  is  fond  of  short,  pithy  sentences. 
His  style  reminds  me,  in  some  measure,  of  that  of  Tacitus. 
His  ideas  flow  too  rapidly  on  him  to  allow  him  to  elaborate 
his  diction.  As  Mr.  Shiel  once  observed,  in  one  of  his  series 
of"  Sketches  of  the  Irish  Bar,"  which  appeared  ten  or  eleven 
years  ago,  in  the  New  Monthly  Magazine,  "  Mr.  O'Connell, 
with  the  improvidence  of  his  country,  flings  a  brood  of  robust 
thoughts  upon  the  world,  without  a  rag  to  cover  them." 

With  most  men  it  requires  an  effort  of  no  ordinary  kind  to 
hit  on  a  few  tolerable  ideas.  In  Mr.  O'Connell's  mind  they 
grow  up  naturally,  and  with  a  luxuriance  which,  if  there  be 
propriety  in  the  expression,  is  inconvenient  to  him.  I  have 
known  his  mind  to  be  so  overcharged  with  ideas,  as  to  render 
him  miserable  until  he  got  an  opportunity  of  ridding  himself 


MR.  O'CONNELI,.  167 

of  a  portion  of  them,  by  "  flinging  them  abroad  on  the  world," 
in  prodigal  profusion. 

Mr.  O'Connell  is  not  a  graceful  speaker,  either  as  respects 
the  management  of  his  voice  or  his  gesture.  He  has  a  broad 
Irish  accent,  which,  though  by  no  means  unpleasant,  falls 
somewhat  strangely  on  an  English  ear.  His  voice  is  rich, 
clear,  strong,  and  often  musical.  It  is  capable  of  being  modu- 
lated'with  the  best  effect;  but  the  art  of  modulation  is  one 
which  Mr.  O'Connell  seems  never  to  have  studied.  The  in- 
tonations of  his  voice  are  never  regulated  by  any  artificial 
rule;  they  are  regulated,  unconsciously  to  himself,  by  his 
feelings  alone.  If,  therefore,  the  subject  on  which  he  is 
speaking  be  not  one  involving  important  principles,  or  one 
which  appeals  to  his  feelings,  there  is  a  degree  of  coldness 
about  his  manner,  and  a  monotony  about  the  tones  of  his 
voice,  which  is  sure  to  make  a  person  who  never  heard  him 
before,  go  away  with  an  unfavourable  impression  of  his  ta- 
lents, and  wondering  how  he  could  ever  have  attained  to  so 
much  popularity.  Sir  Robert  Peel,  Lord  Stanley,  and  several 
other  members  appear  excellent  speakers,  whenever,  and  on 
whatever  subject,  they  open  their  mouths;  with  Mr.  O'Con- 
nell it  is  otherwise.  Even  his  happiest  efforts,  though,  as  I 
have  already  stated,  most  effective,  are  not  graceful  speci- 
mens of  oratory.  In  fact,  the  very  circumstance  I  have  men- 
tioned, of  his  ideas  flowing  so  rapidly  on  him,  must,  of  neces- 
sity, mar  the  gracefulness  of  his  speaking.  He  sometimes — 
not  often — stammers  slightly,  simply  from  two  or  more  ideas 
struggling  at  the  same  moment  in  his  mind  for  priority  of 
birth.  I  have  often  known  him,  in  this  conflict  of  ideas,  break 
off  abruptly  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence,  which  he  would 
never  afterwards  finish,  owing  to  some  brilliant  thought  sug- 
gesting itself  at  the  moment.  A  person  of  less  impetuous 
and  more  artificial  mind,  would  first  finish  the  sentence,  and 
then  give  expression  to  the  new  idea  which  had  occurred 
to  him. 

Mr.  O'Connell's  gesture  is  also  very  deficient  in  graceful- 
ness. He  puts  himself  into  an  endless  variety  of  attitudes, 
every  one  of  which  is  awkward.  At  one  time  you  see  him 
with  his  head  and  body  stooping,  and  his  right  arm  par- 
tially extended;  at  another,  and  perhaps  the  next  moment, 
you  see  him  with  his  head  thrown  back,  and  his  arms  placed 
a-kimbo  on  his  breast.  Then,  again,  you  see  him  stretching 
out  his  neck,  and  making  wry  faces,  as  if  about  to  undergo 


168  MR.  oYo.NNri.r,. 

the  process  of  decapitation.  If  you  withdraw  your  eyes  a 
few  .seconds  from  him,  you  see  him,  when  you  again  look  at 
him,  with  both  his  arms  raised  above  his  head,  and  his  fists  as 
firmly  clenched  as  if  about  to  engage  in  a  regular  Ponny- 
brook  row.  Then  again  you  see  him  apply  both  his  hands  to 
his  wig — he  wears  a  wig — with  as  much  violence  as  if  about 
to  tear  it  in  pieces,  but  instead  of  this  it  turns  out  that  IK-  lias 
only  carefully  adjusted  it.  But  the  most  singular  thing  I 
ever  heard  of  his  doing  in  the  course  of  the  delivery  of  any 
of  his  speeches,  was  that  of  untying  and  taking  oft'  his  cravat, 
when  in  one  of  the  best  parts  of  his  speech,  in  1834,  on  the 
Repeal  of  the  Union,  and  when  he  had  worked  himself  up  to 
the  utmost  enthusiasm  of  manner.  I  was  not  in  the  house  at 
the  time,  but  was  credibly  assured  this  was  a  fact. 

The  great  characteristics  of  Mr.  O'Connell's  manner,  are 
its  boldness,  its  fervour,  and  its  utter  disregard  of  all  artificial 
forms.  You  see,  as  Mr.  Shiel  observes,  the  impetuous  Irish 
blood  revelling  in  his  veins.  Agitation  or  excitement  is  ne- 
cessary to  his  very  being — as  much  so  as  the  air  he  breathes. 
He  is  in  his  element  when  in  the  midst  of  the  political  storm 
and  tempest  and  whirlwind.  I  once  heard  him  say,  that  in- 
deplerfdently  of  the  great  object  for  which  he  is  struggling, 
he  exults  in  the  struggle  itself.  -A  state  of  quietness  and 
tranquillity  would  be  insupportable  to  him.  If  his  country 
had  no  wrongs  to  be  redressed,  if  no  materials  for  agitation 
existed,  he  would  hardly  deem  life  desirable.  Like  Alexan- 
der the  Great,  who  sat  down  and  wept  when  he  had  conquer- 
ed all  that  was  then  known  of  the  world,  because  there  w&s 
no  other  field  for  the  gratification  of  his  military  propensities, 
— Mr.  O'Connell,  though  he  would  rejoice  on  account  of  his 
countrymen,  would  feel  unutterably  wretched  on  his  own, 
were  a  political  millenium  to  take  place  in  Ireland. 

He  is  always  in  excellent  spirits.  You  never  see  him  cast 
down  or  dejected.  In  the  most  adverse  circumstances,  his 
faith  in  the  eventual  triumph  of  the  great  cause  of  justice 
and  humanity,  is  unbounded.  It  never  wavers  for  a  moment. 
He  always  has  his  eye  fixed  on  the  sunny  side  of  the  picture. 
Hence  he  is  ever  cheerful.  You  see  a  perpetual  smile  on  his 
countenance,  whether  he  be  addressing  the  house  or  reclining 
in  his  seat,  whether  in  the  family  circle  or  haranguing  the 
populace  at  the  Corn  Exchange. 

Mr.  O'Connell  is  said  to  be  a  man  of  great  generosity  and 
kindness  of  heart  in  private  life.  A  striking  instance  of  his 


MR.  O'CONNELL.  169 

fenerosity  was  afforded  in  the  case  of  D'Esterre,  whom  he 
illed  in  a  duel.  Not  only  did  he  feel  such  strong  "  com- 
punctious visitings,"  because  he  had  shed  the  blood  of  a  fel- 
low-being— though  he  was  the  challenged,  not  the  challeng- 
ing party — as  caused  him  to  "  register  a  vow  in  heaven" 
never  under  any  circumstances  to  fight  another  duel;  but  he 
felt  that  he  had  done  an  irreparable  injury  to  the  widow  of 
his  deceased  antagonist,  and  therefore  offered  to  settle  an  an- 
nuity of  ,£150  upon  her  for  life.  The  Corporation  of  Dublin, 
however,  prevailed  upon  her  not  to  accept  Mr.  O'Connell's 
generous  offer  by  engaging  to  settle  an  adequate  allowance 
on  her  out  of  their  own  funds.  This  was  the  least  they  could 
do,  as  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  vindicating  that  Corporation 
from  the  epithet  "  beggarly,"  which  Mr.  O'Connell  had  ap- 
plied to  it,  that  her  husband  had  called  him  out,  and  received 
the  wound  which  ended  in  his  death.  I  mention  this  because 
the  circumstances  connected  with  that  duel  are  not  generally 
known. 

Mr.  O'Connell's  person  is  tall  and  athletic.  His  frame  is 
one  of  the  most  muscular  in  the  house,  especially  about  the 
shoulders.  If  any  of  his  enemies  were  to  attempt  to  put  their 
threats  of  personal  chastisement  into  execution  once,  they 
would  not,  I  am  sure,  attempt  it  a  second  time.  If  compelled, 
in  self-defence,  to  play  the  pugilist,  I  am  satisfied  there  are 
very  few  men  in  the  country  who  would  prove  a  match  for 
him. 

He  has  not  only,  as  I  have  already  observed,  a  perpetual 
flow  of  excellent  spirits,  but  he  seems  as  healthy  and  of  as 
vigorous  a  constitution,  notwithstanding  the  wear  and  tear  of 
sixty-one  years,  most  of  which  have  been  spent  in  hard  and 
constant  labour, — as  if  his  age  were  only  thirty.  It  is  this 
circumstance,  coupled  with  that  of  most  of  his  ancestors 
having  lived  to  nearly  one  hundred  years  of  age,  which  has 
caused  him  to  adopt  the  singular  notion  that  he  is  to  live  other 
thirty  years  yet,  making  his  age,  at  the  supposed  time  of  his 
death,  ninety-six. 

His  face,  like  his  person,  is  large.  It  is  round,  but  can 
hardly  be  called  fat.  His  complexion  has  a  freshness  and  rud- 
diness about  it,  which  are  indicative  both  of  his  good  health 
and  excellent  spirits.  His  nose  is  rather  flat,  and  is  slightly 
cocked  up.  He  has  dark,  laughing  eyes,  expressive  at  once 
of  benevolence  and  intellect.  His  forehead  has  nothing  pecu- 
liar about  it.  It  is  by  no  means  fine ;  at  least  as  far  as  his 
15 


170  MR.  8HIEL. 

wig  will  allow  one  to  judge.  His  hair — namely,  of  his  wig 
is  dark  brown.  :uid  judging  from  its  rough  and  uproarious  ap- 
pearance, it  is  not  much  troubled  with  a  comb.  He  invariably 
wears  a  dark  green  surtout,  except  on  St.  Patrick's  day,  or 
when  at  smut1  dinner  party,  when  his  coat  is  black  and  of  the 
usual  cut.  The  brim  of  his  hut  is  broader  than  that  of  any 
Quaker.  He  always  wears  his  hat  cocked  on  the  right  side 
of  his  head,  in  the  manner  so  common  among  sailors.  His 
whole  appearance,  indeed,  is  like  that  of  a  sliip  captain,  for 
which  he  is  often  taken  by  strangers.  When  sitting  in  the 
house,  his  usual  position  is  that  of  having  his  right  leg  over 
his  left.  His  son  Maurice,  to  whom  he  is  particularly  at- 
tached, though  devotedly  fond  of  all  his  family,*  often  sits  be- 
side him,  and  I  have  repeatedly  seen  him,  in  the  most  affec- 
tionate manner,  take  Maurice's  hand  in  his  own,  and  keep  his 
hold  of  it  for  a  considerable  length  of  time. 

Among  the  Irish  members,  Mr.  SHIEL  ranks  next  to  Mr. 
O'Connell,  both  in  talents  and  influence.  He  is  in  person  a 
man  of  very  diminutive  stature.  He  is  much  below  the  middle 
size.  His  face  is  proportionably  small.  His  complexion  is 
dark,  and  his  hair  black.  His  eyes  are  dark  and  piercing,  and 
his  whole  physiognomy  indicates  the  quickness  and  hastiness 
which  are  the  most  prominent  qualities  in  his  character.  His 
features  are  deficient  in  regularity,  but  are  by  no  means  un- 
pleasant. His  chin  slightly  protrudes.  ^In  his  dress  he  is 


*  Mr.  O'Connell  has  three  sons  in  the  House — Morgan,  Maurice, 
and  John.  Neither  of  them  hardly  ever  speak.  I  do  not  recollect  ever 
hearing  Morgan  utter  a  syllable.  I  have  heard  John  deliver  him- 
self of  some  dozen  or  fourteen  sentences,  on  one  or  two  occasions, 
on  some  unimportant  subject.  Maurice  made  a  respectable  speech 
which  lasted  an  hour,  in  August  last,  in  moving  for  a  Committee 
of  Inquiry  in  General  Darling's  case.  His  manner  is  easy  but 
tame.  Morgan  is  likest  to  his  father ;  but  is  neither  so  tall  or  so 
robust,  by  a  good  deal.  He  is  somewhat  of  a  fop  in  his  dress. 
Maurice,  on  the  other  hand,  is  careless  about  bis  personal  appear- 
ance, except  when  he  is  going  to  speak,  when  he  very  carefully  oils 
and  combs  his  hair.  He  is  rather  tall  and  slender  in  person.  His 
hair  and  complexion  are  fair.  John  is  much  under  the  middle 
size,  and  slenderly  made.  He  has  a  good  face,  is  of  dark  com- 
plexion, and  has  black  hair.  He  dresses  with  taste,  but  there  is  no 
foppery  about  him.  Neither  of  them  has  a  particle  of  the  genius 
or  talent  of  their  father. 


MR.  SHIEL.  171 

careless.  His  linen  is  not  of  the  finest  manufacture  for  which 
his  country  is  distinguished,  nor  can  his  washer-woman's  bills 
be  any  very  serious  item  in  his  weekly  expenditure.  There 
was  more  truth  than  was  generally  supposed  in  the  statement 
of  the  Standard,  that  he  went  as  one  of  the  deputation  to  the 
King  to  present  the  answer  of  the  Commons  to  his  Majesty's 
most  gracious  address  at  the  opening  of  the  present  Parlia- 
ment,— with  a  shirt  by  no  means  remarkable  for  its  cleanness, 
and  in  clothes  which  had  seen  better  days,  but  which,  even 
when  they  came  from  the  hands  of  the  tailor,  were  by  no 
means,  either  as  to  cut  or  colour,  particularly  appropriate  for 
the  presence  of  royalty.  These  are  not  the  Standard's  words, 
but  they  embody  the  facts  contained  in  the  statement  of  that 
journal ;  and  that  statement  I  can  confirm  from  my  own  per- 
sonal observation  on  the  occasion  in  question.  I  take  the 
secret  of  the  thing  to  be,  that,  the  address  being  presented  on 
a  Saturday, — that,  as  Dr.  Johnson  would  have  said,  was  not 
"  clean-shirt  day"  with  Mr.  Shiel.  His  dress  on  that  occa- 
sion was  exactly  the  same  in  every  respect  as  it  usually  is, 
namely,  a  black  silk  handkerchief,  tied  very  carelessly  around 
his  neck,  a  brown  coat,  with  dark  vest  and  pantaloons. 

Mr.  Shiel  is  a  man  of  superior  talents,  and  of  considerable 
genius.  There  are  few  men  in  the  house  who  confine  them- 
selves more  strictly  to  the  subject  of  debate.  His  ideas  are 
always  good,  often  striking  and  brilliant.  His  language  is  at 
once  eloquent  and  forcible.  His  sentences  are  remarkable  for 
their  brevity;  but  so  full  is  his  mind  of  ideas,  that  almost 
every  sentence,  however  short,  contains  one.  He  has  a  fine 
imagination,  and  when  he  gives  loose  reins  to  it,  his  diction  is 
glowing  and  poetical.  He  is  always  listened  to  with  great 
attention.  He  is  liked  by  all  parties  in  the  house.  He  is  of 
a  kindly  and  liberal  disposition.  He  never  indulges  in  per- 
sonalities, and  is  not  often  the  object  of  vituperation  on  the 
part  of  the  Tories.  He  has  a  high  sense  of  honour ;  but  is  so 
careful  not  to  transgress  the  bounds  of  gentlemanly  language 
himself,  when  dealing  with  an  opponent,  that  he  hardly  ever 
gets  into  a  personal  quarrel.  The  only  one  I  recollect  his 
having  got  into  was  with  Lord  Althorp,  in  the  instance  I  have 
referred  to  in  speaking  of  Col.  Leith  Hay.  And  that  was 
with  him  a  matter  of  necessity,  not  of  choice.  He  only  inti- 
mated that  he  would  hold  his  lordship  responsible  for  the  im- 
putation, when  the  latter  refused  to  give  up  the  name  of  the 
person  on  whose  information  he  grounded  the  charge. 


172  MR.  SHIEL. 

Mr.  Shiel  though  an  effective,  is  a  most  awkward  speaker. 
His  utterance  is  more  rapid  than  that  of  any  other  member  in 
the  house.  He  speaks  with  such  amazing  rapidity,  that  the 
most  expert  reporter  in  the  gallery  is  unable  to  follow  him. 
Hence,  when  he  is  anxious  to  be  reported  at  length,  he  is 
obliged  to  write  out  his  own  speeches,  and  send  a  copy  to  the 
office  of  one  of  the  leading  newspapers,  from  which  the  other 
journals  procure  slips  when  put  in  types.  Formerly,  he  used 
to  write  out  his  speeches  before-hand,  and  carry  them  with 
him  in  his  pocket  wherever  he  went  to  speak;  but  having 
some  years  since  given  a  copy  of  his  speech  to  the  proprietors  of 
an  evening  paper  some  hours  before  the  time  appointed  for  the 
delivery  of  it,  and  the  clamour  and  uproar  of  the  meeting  at 
which  it  was  to  have  been  delivered — it  was  a  meeting  in 
favour  of  the  Catholic  Claims,  held  in  1829,  on  Penenden 
Heath — being  so  great  as  to  prevent  his  proceeding,  while  the 
Journal  in  question  represented  him  as  having  "  spoken  his 
speech,"  and  gave  four  or  five  columns  of  matter  as  his,  of 
which  he  never  uttered  a  word, — Mr.  Shiel,  ever  since  this 
"  untoward  occurrence,"  has  not  only  never  given  his  speech 
to  any  reporter  until  the  actual  delivery  of  it,  but  does  not 
until  then  write  it  out  for  the  use  of  the  newspapers. 

Mr.  Shiel  does  not  speak  often.  Mr.  O'Connell  makes  at 
least  twenty  speeches  for  his  one.  Mr.  Shiel  writes  out  at 
full  length,  and  commits  to  memory,  all  his  speeches  on  im- 
portant questions.  He  hardly  ever  attempts  extempore  speak- 
ing. I  am  surprised  at  his  want  of  confidence  in  tins  respect. 
Judging  from  the  only  specimen  I  ever  heard  of  his  extem- 
pore speaking,  I  should  conclude  his  fame  would  not  suffer 
were  he  often  to  get  up  on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  The 
speech  I  refer  to  was  one  of  some  length.  It  was  in  the  middle 
of  last  session,  in  reply  to  one  of  Sir  Robert  Inglis,  in  which 
that  right  honourable  Baronet  charged  the  Roman  Catholic 
members  with  having,  by  voting  for  the  affirmative  of  the 
Church  Property  Appropriation  Question,  violated  the  oaths 
they  took  on  entering  Parliament  not  to  do  anything  hostile 
to  the  interests  of  the  Church  of  England,  as  by  law  esta- 
blished. A  happier  or  more  powerful  speech  I  have  seldom 
heard.  His  indignation  at  the  charge  was  so  great,  that  he 
could  not,  notwithstanding  his  diffidence  as  to  his  qualifica- 
tions for  extempore  speaking,  confine  it  to  his  own  bosom. 

When  Mr.  Shiel  is  going  to  speak,  he  does  not  rise,  like 
any  other  member,  but  literally  leaps  or  jumps  off  his  seat  on 


MR.  SHIEL.  173 

the  floor,  as  if  about  to  run  out  of  the  house.  The  fact  is,  he 
is  quite  the  creature  of  impulse.  Everything  he  does,  he  does 
in  as  great  haste  as  if  it  were  a  life  and  death  affair.  His 
motions  when  addressing  the  house  are  quite  mercurial.  Not 
content  with  the  most  redundant  gesture,  in  so  far  as  his  arms 
are  concerned,  he  sometimes  bends  his  body  to  such  a  degree, 
that  you  are  not  without  fears  he  may  lose  his  equilibrium, 
and  fall,  head  foremost  prostrate  on  the  floor.  At  other  times, 
he  advances  to  the  table,  gives  three  or  four  lusty  strokes  on 
the  box,  and  then  suddenly  retreats  backwards  four  or  five 
steps.  In  a  few  seconds,  you  see  him,  by  another  sudden 
bound,  leaning  over  the  table,  and  stretching  out  his  neck,  as 
if  trying  to  reach  some  honourable  member  opposite, — his  eye 
fixed  on  him,  meanwhile,  with  as  great  an  intensity  of  gaze, 
as  if  he  were  determined  to  flash  conviction  on  him  by  the 
piercing  glances  of  his  optics,  should  he  fail  to  produce  it  by 
the  words  of  his  mouth. 

Mr.  Shiel's  articulation  is  very  indistinct.  This  arises 
partly  from  the  extraordinary  rapidity  of  his  delivery,  but 
chiefly  from  the  screeching  tones  of  his  voice,  and  the  loud 
key  at  which  he  pitches  it.  His  manner  in  this  respect  ia 
unlike  anything  I  ever  heard  either  in  the  house  or  elsewhere; 
it  is  impossible,  by  words,  to  convey  any  adequate  idea  of  it. 
His  voice  has  often  such  an  irregular  effect,  that  you  would 
think  the  sound  came  from  between  the  wall  and  the  ceiling 
opposite  the  place  whence  he  addresses  the  house.  A  stranger 
is,  indeed,  sometimes  apt  to  mistake  him  for  a  foreigner.  An 
instance  of  this  occurred  last  Session,  when  a  gentleman  in 
the  gallery,  who  was  not  aware  that  Mr.  Shiel  was  the  person 
then  speaking,  and  forgetting  for  the  moment  that  none  but 
natives  of  the  United  Kingdom  were  eligible  to  a  seat  in  the 
house,  innocently  inquired  of  another  gentleman,  who  was 
sitting  next  to  him,  whether  that  was  not  a  foreigner  who 
was  then  addressing  the  house  3 

Mr.  Shiel  is  a  man  of  very  considerable  literary  attainments. 
He  has  written  various  articles,  which  have  been  much  ad- 
mired, in  the  New  Monthly  Magazine,  and  other  periodicals. 
To  the  New  Monthly,  when  under  the  editorship  of  his  friend, 
Mr.  Thomas  Campbell,  he  was  a  regular  contributor  for  some 
years.  The  account  of  the  proceedings  of  the  deputation,  of 
whom  he  was  one,  sent  over  to  this  country  by  the  Roman 
Catholic  Association  of  Dublin,  and  the  "  Sketches  of  the  Irish 
Bar,"  which  appeared  in  the  New  Monthly  some  years  since, 
15* 


174  MR.  FEARGTJS  O'CONNOR. 

were  from  his  pen.  He  has  also  written  several  tragedies,  in 
all  of  which  there  are  many  beautiful  passages,  glowing  and 
burning  with  the  poetic  spirit;  but,  as  a  whole,  they  are  not 
admired,  and  consequently  have  not  been  successful. 

Mr.  Sliiel  is  in  the  prime  of  life,  his  age  being  only  forty- 
two.  There  is,  therefore,  reason  to  expect  his  reputation  will 
rise  still  higher.  It  used  to  be  said  that  Mr.  O'Connell  was 
jealous  of  him,  fearing  he  might  one  day  become  his  rival, 
and  that  consequently  he  did  not  regard  him  with  any  very 
friendly  feelings.  There  never  was  a  more  unfounded  in- 
sinuation against  Mr.  O'Connell.  He  is  one  of  Mr.  Shiel's 
greatest  friends,  and  warmest  admirers.  There  is  not  a  man 
in  the  house,  when  Mr.  Shiel  speaks,  more  cordial  or  liberal 
in  his  cheers  than  Mr.  O'Connell.  The  impression  of  each 
of  these  men  is,  that  there  is  ample  scope  for  all  the  talents, 
and  patriotism,  and  exertions  of  both,  in  the  present  state  of 
Ireland. 

Mr.  FEARGUS  O'CONNOR'S  name  is  too  familiar  to  the  pub- 
lic to  be  passed  over  in  a  work  of  this  kind,  though  at  the  mo- 
ment I  write  he  be  not  a  member  of  Parliament;  especially 
as,  from  the  circumstances  under  which  he  was  unseated,  and 
his  popularity  among  the  Radicals  in  England  as  well  as  Ire- 
land, there  is  little  chance  of  his  being  long  excluded.  In 
person  he  is  moderately  tall,  and  of  a  firm  compact  make, 
without  anything  approaching  to  corpulency.  He  is  red- 
haired,  and  of  very  fair  complexion.  There  is  a  slight  protru- 
sion in  his  brow,  which  gives  that  part  of  his  face  about  the 
eyes  somewhat  of  a  sunken  or  retiring  appearance.  His  nose 
is  prominent,  not  from  its  size,  for  it  is  rather  small,  but  from 
its  cocked-up  conformation.  He  is  yet  but  a  young  man,  his 
age  being  about  forty. 

Mr.  Feargus  O'Connor  is  a  man  of  more  than  respectable 
talents.  He  is  a  fluent  and  graceful  speaker:  the  chief 
blemish  in  his  speeches,  is  that  they  are  generally  too  wordy. 
His  voice  has  something  of  a  bass  tone  in  it;  he  cannot  modu- 
late or  alter  its  tones :  he  continues  and  ends  in  exactly  the 
same  key  as  he  began.  He  is  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  in 
his  public  character.  There  is  not  a  more  honest  man  in  the 
house.  No  earthly  consideration  will  induce  him  on  any  oc- 
casion— even  on  a  single  occasion — to  swerve  from  his  prin- 
ciples. Rather  than  act  contrary  to  his  convictions  of  what 
is  right,  he  would  a  thousand  times  sooner  peril  his  seat.  I 
recollect  one  occasion,  towards  the  close  of  the  Session  of  1834, 


MR.  HENRY  GRATTAN.  175 

in  which  he  strenuously  opposed  Mr.  O'Connell,  Mr.  Shiel, 
and  all  the  other  Irish  Liberal  members,  on  some  question  of 
Irish  Policy,  the  nature  of  which  I  now  forget, — with  the 
fullest  impression  on  his  mind,  that  the  consequence  of  the 
course  he  was  pursuing  would  be  the  loss  of  his  seat.  He 
alluded  to  the  probability  of  such  being  the  penalty  of  the  line 
of  conduct  he  adopted  on  the  occasion,  adding,  that  if  his  anti- 
cipations should  be  realized,  he  would  most  cheerfully  retire 
into  the  solitude  of  private  life,  consoled  with  the  reflection 
that  he  had  acted  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience. 
Had  Mr.  O'Connell  thought  fit  to  quarrel  with  Mr.  O'Connor 
for  his  conduct  on  the  occasion  I  refer  to,  there  was  no  ques- 
tion that  he  could  have  prevented  Mr.  O'Connor's  re-election 
either  by  the  constituency  of  the  county  of  Cork,  which  he 
then  represented,  or  any  other  constituency  in  Ireland.  Mr. 
O'Connell,  however,  had  too  high  an  opinion  of  Mr.  O'Con- 
nor's talents  and  integrity  of  character,  to  have  ever  dreamed 
of  excluding  him  from  Parliament  on  any  such  ground.  He 
has,  on  many  occasions,  been  one  of  Mr.  O'Connell's  most 
zealous  and  most  efficient  coadjutors  in  the  efforts  of  the  latter 
to  procure  redress  for  the  evils  of  Ireland. 

Mr.  HENRY  GRATTAN,  member  for  Maynooth,  is  a  name 
with  which  every  reader  of  the  debates  in  Parliament  must 
be  familiar.  He  is  the  eldest  son  of  the  great  Henry  Grattan, 
one  of  the  ablest  and  most  zealous,  as  well  as  most  eloquent, 
patriots  which  Ireland  ever  produced.  He  has  much  of  the 
attachment  to  his  native  country  which  blazed  in  the  breast 
of  his  illustrious  father ;  but  unhappily  he  has  not  a  tithe  of  his 
talent.  Indeed,  he  cannot  be  said  to  be  a  man  of  talent  at  all. 
He,  however  speaks  tolerably  well.  If  there  are  no  traces  of 
genius,  no  approaches  to  eloquence,  there  is  always  an  abun- 
dant infusion  of  burning  Liberalism  in  his  speeches.  It  is 
impossible  for  him  to  give  expression  to  half-a-dozen  sentences 
without  getting  into  a  downright  passion,  and  indulging  in 
such  violence  of  gesture,  that  it  is  quite  unsafe  for  any  mem- 
ber to  sit  with  his  head  within  reach  of  his  right  arm.  He  is 
by  far  the  best  specimen  of  a  wild  Irishman — "  wild,"  in  Lady 
Morgan's  sense  of  the  term — in  the  house.  He  is  open,  gene- 
rous, straight-forward,  in  all  the  relations  both  of  public  and 
private  life.  In  stature  he  is  tall,  without  being  robust.  His 
hair  is  dark,  and  his  complexion  has  something  of  sallowness 
about  it.  His  face  is  angular.  His  general  appearance  is 
gentlemanly,  and  he  seems  in  excellent  health  and  spirits. 


176  MR.  SHARMA.N  CRAWFORD MR.  Rl'THVEN. 

His  age  is  upwards  of  forty.  He  is  often  confounded  with 
Mr.  Thomas  Grattan,  the  author  of  "High  Ways  and  Bye 
Ways." 

Mr.  SIIARMAN  CRAWFORD,  the  member  for  Dundalk,  is  not 
a  man  whose  talents  will  ever  bring  him  prominently  before 
the  public  ;  for  these  are  not  above  mediocrity.  But  the  active 
part  lie  takes,  both  in  and  out  of  the  house,  in  everything 
that  relates  to  Ireland,  joined  to  the  extreme  honesty  of  his 
character  and  liberality  of  his  opinions,  makes  him  deservedly 
respited  both  in  his  native  country  and  in  the  house.  He  is 
a  man  of  great  modesty.  He  wants  confidence  in  himself. 
Hence,  in  the  delivery  of  his  speeches,  there  is  no  animation, 
and  scarcely  any  gesture.  He  is  the  only  Protestant  member 
from  Ireland  who  acts  almost  uniformly  with  the  Liberal  or 
Catholic  Irish  members ;  for  the  terms  are  convertible  in  this 
case.  His  person  is  rather  above  the  usual  height,  and  slen- 
derly made.  His  complexion  is  dark,  and  his  hair  black.  His 
face  is  thin  and  angular,  and  is  slightly  pitted  with  small  pox. 
The  expression  of  his  countenance  is  pensive,  with  a  tinge  of 
melancholy  about  it  He  is  one-  of  the  most  humane  men  in 
the  house.  Judging  from  appearances,  one  would  conclude 
that  he  is  in  delicate  health.  His  age  is  about  forty-five. 

Mr.  RUTHVEN,  the  colleague  of  Mr.  O'Connell  in  the  repre- 
sentation of  the  city  of  Dublin,  is  entitled  to  a  few  words  of 
notice  because  of  his  eccentricities.  He  stands  alone  in  the 
house  in  all  the  leading  elements  of  his  character.  "  None 
but  himself  can  be  his  parallel."  Last  year  he  not  only 
brought  himself  into  notice,  but  kept  himself  before  the  house 
and  the  public  by  moving  the  adjournment  of  the  house,  night 
after  night,  at  a  certain  hour,  no  matter  how  important  the 
business  before  it,  or  who  was  speaking  at  the  time.  When- 
ever he  himself  attempted  to  speak — and  he  often  did,  in  the 
literal  sense  of  the  terms,  "  trespass  on  the  attention  of  the 
house" — he  was  sure  to  be  assailed  with  all  sorts  of  yawns, 
coughs,  groans,  &c.  He  soon,  however,  made  the  grand  dis- 
covery, that  an  effectual,  and  the  only  effectual,  means  of  put- 
ting down  such  interruptions,  was  by  threatening,  if  not  allow- 
ed to  proceed,  to  move  the  adjournment  of  the  house. 

Mr.  Ruthven  is  altogether  so  singular  a  person  that  it  is 
impossible  to  convey  any  idea  of  him  to  those  who  have  not 
seen  him.  Though  he  often  speaks,  he  cannot  put  two  sen- 
tences of  ordinary  English  together.  When  he  gives  utter- 
ance to  a  sentence  of  any  length,  the  chances  are  two  to  one 


MR.  RUTHVEN.  177 

that  the  latter  part  of  it  has  no  connexion  with  the  first.  In 
fact,  though  he  has  the  name  of  being  a  good  scholar,  he  can- 
not speak  the  English  language  at  all.  He  often  tries  to  cor- 
rect himself,  and  stammers  away  at  an  extraordinary  rate  in 
the  attempt,  but  he  only  in  the  end  flounders  the  more  deeply 
in  the  mire  of  bad  English. 

His  voice  has  a  curious,  unearthly  kind  of  sound.  He 
speaks  with  sufficient  strength  of  lungs  to  make  such  a  noise 
as  is  heard  in  all  parts  of  the  house,  but  from  the  unusual 
tones  of  his  voice,  aggravated  by  a  bad  articulation,  what  he 
says  is  often  known  to  himself  alone.  He  is  not  now  yawned 
or  coughed  at  for  the  reason  I  have  mentioned,  but  he  is  not 
listened  to  when  he  addresses  the  house.  He  often  speaks 
what  are  called  Irish  bulls,  to  the  great  amusement  of  honour- 
able members.  He  sometimes  rises  for  the  purpose  of  telling 
the  house  that  he  has  nothing  to  say  on  the  subject  before  it, 
but  that  as  he  is  on  his  legs,  he  may  as  well  say  that  he  will 
give  his  vote  in  a  particular  way.  But  though  Mr.  Ruthven 
speaks  a  great  deal  of  nonsense,  he  certainly  does,  on  many 
occasions,  take  a  common-sense  view  of  the  questions  before 
the  house,  and  assign,  though  in  wretched  English,  very  good 
reasons  for  the  course  he  has  made  up  his  mind  to  pursue. 

His  personal  appearance  is  made  to  match  with  the  peculiar 
conformation  of  his  mind.  He  is  of  the  middle  size,  and  of  a 
full  make  without  being  corpulent.  He  is  slightly  hunch- 
backed, or  at  least  his  mode  of  walking  gives  him  somewhat 
of  that  appearance.  His  manners  are  awkward  in  the  ex- 
treme. He  looks  like  a  person  newly  imported  from  the 
country,  and  who  has  all  his  life  been  a  working  farmer.  He 
is  one  of  those  men  who  are  completely  proof  against  the 
march  of  manners.  Suppose  he  were  to  live  for  a  thousand 
years  to  come — his  present  age  is  about  fifty-five — he  would 
not  be  a  whit  more  advanced  in  the  practice  of  the  art  of  po- 
liteness than  he  is  at  this  moment.  He  feels  a  thorough  con- 
tempt for  the  very  name  of  Chesterfield.  If  any  one  would 
put  that  nobleman's  "  Letters  to  his  Son"  into  his  hand,  he 
would  toss  them  into  the  fire  the  next  moment,  as  if  there 
were  pollution  in  the  very  touch.  His  hair  is  beginning  to 
turn  gray.  His  head  is  large  and  massy.  His  nose  is  large ; 
so  are  his  eyes.  His  complexion  is  ruddy.  The  expression  of 
his  countenance  corresponds  with  the  sketch  I  have  given  of 
his  character.  In  his  dress  he  is  rather  careless,  without 
being  slovenly  :  his  clothes  never  fit  him.  He  ia  always  to  be 


178  MR.  RUTHVEN. 

seen  moving  slowly  about  on  the  floor  of  the  house.  He  has 
no  fixed  seat ;  at  one  time  you  see  him — where  from  his  prin- 
ciples and  sympathies  he  ought  always  to  be — seated  beside 
the  Irish  Liberal  members;  at  another  you  see  him  on  the 
opposite  side  in  the  very  midst  of  the  Tories.  Notwithstand- 
ing his  eccentricities  he  is  a  man  who  knows  well  when  any 
personal  affront  is  intended  him,  and  there  are  few  men  in  the 
house  who  will  more  readily  resent  it. 

I  do  not  think  that  any  other  of  the  Irish  Liberal  members 
stand  out  with  a  sufficient  prominence  to  render  a  notice  of 
them  necessary.  They  are  in  number  about  sixty,  all  of 
whom,  with  two  or  three  exceptions,  are  Roman  Catholics, 
and  are  remarkable  for  their  unity  of  purpose  and  action. 


MR.  EDWARD  LYTTON  BULWER.  179 

CHAPTER  XV. 

LITERARY  MEMBERS. 

Mr.  Edward  Lytton  Bulwcr — Lord  Francis  Egerton — Dr.  Bowring 
— Mr.  Buckingham. 

SEVERAL  members  of  some  pretensions  to  literary  talents 
have,  with  greater  propriety,  been  included  under  other  heads. 
The  most  distinguished  literary  man  in  the  house  is  Mr.  E. 
L.  BULWER,  member  for  Lincoln,  and  author  of  Pelham, 
Eugene  Aram,  &c.  He  does  not  speak  often.  When  he 
does,  his  speeches  are  not  only  previously  turned  over  with 
great  care  in  his  mind,  but  are  written  out  at  full  length,  and 
committed  as  carefully  to  memory  as  if  he  were  going  to  re- 
cite them  at  some  annual  examination  of  some  public  school. 
He  is  artificial  throughout — the  mere  creature  of  self-disci- 
pline— in  all  his  exhibitions  in  the  house.  You  see  art  and 
affectation  in  his  very  personal  appearance — in  his  mode  of 
dressing,  and  in  his  every  movement.  One  of  his  school- 
fellows has  told  me,  that  at  school  he  was  as  much  noted  for 
his  attention  to  the  cut  of  his  coat,  as  to  his  intellectual  pur- 
suits. He  is  the  same  man  still.  He  is  a  great  patron  of  the 
tailor  and  perruquier.  He  is  always  dressed  in  the  extreme 
of  fashion.  He  sometimes  affects  a  modesty  of  demeanour ; 
but  it  is  too  transparent  to  deceive  any  one  who  has  the  least 
discernment.  You  see  at  once  that  he  is  on  stilts;  that  it 
costs  him  an  effort  even  to  assume  the  virtue  which  he  has 
not.  His  manner  of  speaking  is  very  affected :  the  manage- 
ment of  his  voice  is  especially  so.  But  for  this  he  would  be 
a  pleasant  speaker.  His  voice,  though  weak,  is  agreeable, 
and  he  speaks  with  considerable  fluency.  His  speeches  are 
usually  argumentative.  You  see  at  once  that  he  is  a  person 
of  great  intellectual  acquirements,  though  his  speeches  appear 
much  better  in  print  than  when  you  hear  them  delivered. 
His  articulation  is  impaired  by  the  affected  manner  of  his 
pronunciation,  and  the  rapidity  of  his  utterance.  His  favourite 
subject  in  the  house,  is  the  Repeal  of  the  Taxes  on  News- 
papers. On  that  question  he  makes  a  motion  every  Session. 
I  believe  him  to  be  sincerely  anxious  for  the  abolition  of  those 
duties ;  but,  had  he,  last  year,  not  yielded  to  the  previously 


180  LORD  FRANCIS  EOERTON— t)R.  BOWRING. 

expressed  solicitations  of  the  friends  of  Mr.  Spring  Rice  to 
withdraw  his  motion,  the  newspaper  taxes  would  by  this  time 
have  ceased  to  exist.  There  were  a  considerable  majority  in 
the  house  at  the  time,  in  favour  of  his  motion,  and  I  recollect 
observing  the  exultation  expressed  in  their  countenances,  at 
their  anticipated  triumph.  But  the  secret  of  the  matter  was, 
that  he  brought  forward  his  motion  at  that  time,  not  with  the 
intention  of  carrying  it,  but  for  the  mere  sake  of  a  little  dis- 
play, coupled,  perhaps,  with  a  wish  to  make  an  appearance  of 
redeeming  a  pledge  he  had  previously  given,  to  bring  the  sub- 
ject forward  in  the  course  of  the  Session. 

Mr.  Bulwer  is  a  fine-looking  man.  He  is  rather  tall  and 
handsome.  His  complexion  is  fair,  and  his  hair  of  a  dark 
brown.  His  nose  is  aquiline  and  prominent,  and  his  face  an- 
gular, lie  usually  wears  a  green  surtout.  He  is  young.  I 
cannot  give  his  precise  age,  but  I  am  certain  it  cannot  exceed 
thirty-five.  He  is  understood  to  average  from  £1,200  to 
Jt  1,500  a-year  by  his  literary  labours. 

Lord  FRANCIS  EGERTON  is  better  known  as  a  literary  man 
by  his  previous  title  of  Lord  F.  L.  Gower.  His  literary  re- 
putation chiefly  rests  on  his  knowledge  of  the  German  lan- 
guage, and  several  of  his  translations  from  the  poetical  works 
of  Goethe.  He  has  also  written  several  small  original  poeti- 
cal pieces,  which  possess  the  merit  of  sweetness  of  senti- 
ment, elegance  of  style,  and  harmony  of  versification ;  but 
they  want  vigour  and  originality.  He  is  a  nobleman  of  a 
cultivated  mind,  and  of  varied  information,  especially  on  the 
subject  of  modern  literature.  He  hardly  ever  speaks,  and 
then  but  very  indifferently.  He  spoke  for  twenty-five  or 
thirty  minutes  on  the  question  of  the  answer  to  the  King's 
Speech,  at  the  opening  of  last  Session.  Being  a  Tory,  though 
not  an  ultra  one,  he,  of  course,  supported  the  Government  of 
Sir  Robert  Peel  on  that  occasion.  His  voice  is  harsh  and 
husky,  and  not  very  strong.  There  is  no  variety  either  in  it 
or  in  his  gesture.  Both  are  monotonous  in  a  high  degree. 
In  person  he  is  tall,  and  well  made.  His  hair  is  black,  and 
his  complexion  dark.  His  face  is  partially  angular,  and  his 
features  regular,  but  with  a  somewhat  pensive  expression. 
He  is  much  respected  by  his  own  party,  both  for  his  private 
worth  and  high  family  connexions. 

Dr.  BOWRING,  the  member  for  Kilmarnock,  is  one  of  the 
new  members.  He  is  a  man  of  varied,  though  not  of  pro- 
found literary  acquirements.  He  has  written,  and  written 


MR.  BUCKINGHAM.  181 

well,  in  almost  every  department  of  literature.  For  some 
years  he  conducted  the  Westminster  Review.  His  political 
articles  in  that  periodical  were  more  distinguished  for  the 
ease  and  accuracy  of  their  style,  than  for  originality  of  con- 
ception or  comprehensive  views.  It  is  as  a  polyglot  he  is 
most  celebrated.  Here  he  stands  unrivalled.  He  has  a  cri- 
tical knowledge  of  almost  every  language  in  Europe,  and  has 
given  translations  from  the  poetry  of  most  of  them.  He  has 
written  some  original  poetry,  but  it  has  little  pretensions  to 
merit,  beyond  the  elegance  of  the  style,  and  the  amiable  feel- 
ing it,  for  the  most  part,  breathes.  He  is  not  a  good  speaker. 
His  delivery  has  something  drawling  about  it.  His  voice  ia 
clear,  and  capable,  with  proper  management,  of  being  made 
pleasant  to  the  ear.  But  he  seems  to  have  no  control  over  it: 
he  speaks  often,  but  never  long.  He  has  not  realized  the  ex- 
pectations of  his  friends  since  his  admission  into  the  house. 
He  has  committed  two  great  errors.  The  first  is,  his  speaking 
too  often  on  topics  of  trifling  importance :  the  second  is  the 
circumstance  of  his  never  having  brought  forward  a  motion 
on  any  question  of  commanding  interest,  nor  ever  made  a 
speech  of  any  length,  on  any  great  question  brought  forward 
by  others.  He  is  most  regular  in  his  attendance  in  the  house : 
I  know  of  few  members  who  are  more  so.  He  is  always  to 
be  seen  bustling  about  on  the  floor,  or  in  the  side  galleries, 
with  a  bundle  of  papers  in  his  hand.  I  do  not  recollect  ever 
seeing  him,  on  a  single  occasion,  without  a  large  quantity  of 
parliamentary  papers  in  his  hand  or  under  his  arm. 

Dr.  Bowring  is  in  person  rather  below  the  middle  size.  His 
hair  is  black,  and  his  complexion  pale.  He  is  short-sighted, 
and  is  consequently  obliged  to  wear  glasses.  His  face  is  an- 
gular, and  his  chin  slightly  protrudes.  His  physiognomy  ia 
rather  expressive  of  mildness  and  good-nature — qualities 
which  he  does  possess  in  an  eminent  degree — than  of  any- 
thing intellectual.  He  is  not  old.  Judging  from  his  appear- 
ance, I  should  think  he  is  not  much  above  forty.  If  he  does 
not  make  a  shining  member,  he  promises  to  be  one  of  the  most 
useful ;  for  he  unites  in  a  high  degree  the  closest  attention  to 
his  parliamentary  duties  with  a  sound  judgment  and  the 
strictest  integrity. 

Mr.  BUCKINGHAM,  the  member  for  Sheffield,  is  a  person 
whose  name  has  been,  for  the  last  eight  or  ten  years,  most 
prominently  before  the  British  public.  He  is  generally  sup- 
posed to  have  something  of  the  quack  in  him.  I  am  not  sure 
16 


2  MR.  BUCKINGHAM. 

that  the  charge  is  altogether  unfounded,  though  I  am  per- 
suaded he  has  often  been  actuated  by  the  most  disinterested 
motives  in  cases  in  which  the  general  impression  has  been 
quite  the  reverse.  I  believe  he  may — unconsciously  I  have 
no  doubt — have  exaggerated  the  extent  of  his  pecuniary 
losses  by  the  arbitrary  proceedings  of  the  Indian  Government; 
but  it  cannot  be  denied  that  he  did,  in  addition  to  the  abstract 
tyranny  and  injustice  of  those  proceedings,  suffer  in  purse,  or 
perhaps,  more  properly  speaking,  prospectively,  to  a  very 
large  amount.  That  he  has  kept  his  persecutions,  by  the  In- 
dian Government,  before  the  public,  with  a  prominence  and 
steadiness  at  which  other  persons  similarly  circumstanced 
would  have  shrunk  back,  is  not  to  be  denied;  but  great  allow- 
ances are  to  be  made  for  him,  when  it  is  recollected  that  he 
lost  not  a  part,  but  the  whole  of  his  fortune,  by  his  deporta- 
tion from  the  East  Indies,  and  that  ever  since  he  has  had  to 
struggle  with  all  the  horrors  of  poverty,  sometimes,  indeed, 
with  something  approaching  to  absolute  want. 

Mr.  Buckingham,  is  a  man  of  more  than  respectable  lite- 
rary attainments.  His  travels  in  Mesapotamia  and  other 
countries  in  the  East,  are  among  the  best  that  have  been  pub- 
lished respecting  those  countries.  His  Oriental  Herald  also, 
a  great  part  of  which  was  written  by  himself,  was  a  Journal 
of  considerable  merit.  The  great  fault  of  his  style  is  its  ex- 
treme wordiness. 

As  a  member  of  Parliament  he  has  not  earned  much  repu- 
tation. On  first  entering  the  house  he  made  great  efforts,  by 
repeated  speeches  of  considerable  length,  to  acquire  for  him- 
self a  name  as  a  legislator;  but  the  attempt  was  quite  a 
failure.  There  was  a  strong  prejudice  against  him,  owing,  iu 
a  great  measure  to  the  general  impression  that  he  was  a 
political  adventurer.  When  he  rose  to  address  the  house,  the 
circumstance  became  a  signal,  sometimes  for  forced  coughs, 
yawnings,  &c.  and  always  for  inattention  and  other  marks  of 
want  of  due  respect.  The  result  has  been  that  he  now 
scarcely  ever  speaks  at  all.  Nor  was  he  by  any  means  regu- 
lar in  his  attendance  in  the  house  last  Session,  though  pre- 
viously he  was  one  of  the  most  exemplary  in  this  respect,  out 
of  the  whole  six  hundred  and  fifty-eight. 

Mr.  Buckingham  is  a  fine  speaker.  His  manner  is  remark- 
ably easy  and  pleasant.  There  is  not  a  more  fluent  speaker 
in  the  house.  His  voice  is  sweet  and  melodious;  but  there  is 
a  sameness  in  its  tones.  His  action  is  graceful,  but  is  defi- 


MR.  BUCKINGHAM.  183 

cient  in  energy.  He  can  speak  at  any  time  and  on  any  sub- 
ject. In  person  he  is  tall  and  handsome.  Notwithstanding 
all  the  hardships  and  fatigues  he  underwent  in  his  extensive 
journeyings  in  tropical  countries,  he  appears  to  be  of  a  vigor- 
ous constitution  and  in  excellent  health.  His  complexion  is 
fair  and  his  hair  of  a  light  gray.  He  has  a  fine  forehead. 
His  features  are  regular  but  distinctly  marked.  His  face  is 
full,  and  has  something  very  intellectual  about  it.  In  his  ap- 
pearance and  manners,  he  is  quite  the  gentleman.  He  is 
about  fifty  years  of  age. 


184  KEI.KilOrS  MKMRERS. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

RELIGIOUS  MEMBERS. 

Sir  Andrew  Agnew — Mr.  Buxton — Mr.  Andrew  Johnston — Mr. 
Wilks — Mr.  Baincs — Mr.  Finch — Colonel  Perceval — Major  Gum- 
ming1 Bruce — Mr.  Poultcr — Mr.  Sinclair. 

THE  decided  course  which  Sir  ANDREW  AGNEW,  member 
for  the  Wigton  district  of  burghs,  has  taken  for  some  years 
past  on  all  questions  of  a  religious  character  which  have  been 
brought  before  the  house,  and  the  notoriety,  especially,  into 
which  he  has  brought  himself  by  his  perseverance,  session 
after  session,  in  defiance  of  all  the  ridicule  which  has  been 
heaped  upon  him,  with  his  Sabbath  Bills,  entitled  him  to  a 
priority  of  notice  in  this  chapter.  His  appearance  exhibits 
nothing  particularly  serious.  He  looks  soft  and  good-natured 
rather  than  grave  or  serious,  nor  is  there  anything  in  his 
manner,  when  he  rises  to  address  the  house,  which  at  all 
marks  the  zealot.  His  mode  of  speaking  is  remarkably  cold 
and  destitute  of  animation.  He  appears  as  if  he  were  timid ; 
and  yet  he  is  not  so.  Had  he  not  the  quality  of  moral  courage 
in  a  very  high  degree,  he  would  never  have  persisted  in  his 
measures  for  the  better  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  in  the  face 
of  the  ridicule  he  has  always  had  to  encounter.  His  voice  is 
either  weak,  or  he  does  not  exercise  his  lungs  in  any  degree 
when  addressing  the  house ;  nor  does  he  use  much  gesture. 
He  extends  his  right  arm,  and  gently  moves  it  up  and  down, 
which  may  be  said  to  constitute  the  whole  of  his  gesticula- 
tion. He  is  a  man  of  easy  temper ;  not  at  all  disposed  to  take 
offence  at  what  an  opponent  says ;  on  the  contrary,  I  have  re- 
peatedly seen  him  smile  when  some  of  the  Radical  party  were 
heaping  ridicule  on  his  peculiar  religious  opinions.  He  never 
speaks,  except  on  his  own  Sa'bbath  Bills,  or  on  those  brought 
in  from  time  to  time  by  others.  His  speeches  are  seldom  of 
any  length.  In  his  political  opinions  he  is  moderately  liberal. 
In  person  he  is  tall  and  slender.  His  complexion  is  sallow, 
and  his  hair  of  a  dark  brown  colour.  His  face  is  sharp  and 
angular.  There  is  a  strong  resemblance  in  the  form  of  his 


MR.  F.  BUXTON. — MR.  ANDREW  JOHNSTON.       185 

nose  to  the  beak  of  an  eagle.  He  is  not  old.  I  do  not  know 
his  exact  age ;  but  it  is,  I  have  no  doubt,  under  forty. 

Mr.  F.  BUXTON,  the  member  for  Weymouth,  is  one  who 
takes  a  great  interest  in  all  questions  of  a  religious  nature. 
His  exertions  for  the  emancipation  of  the  West-India  slaves, 
are  too  well  known  to  require  any  particular  allusion  to  them. 
They  had  their  origin  in  religious  principle.  He  is  a  Dissen- 
ter. His  piety  is  decided,  without  being  tinged  with  fanati- 
cism. The  great  question  in  which  he  felt  the  deepest  in- 
terest, was  that  of  the  Emancipation  of  the  Negroes  in  the 
West-India  Colonies:  when  it  was  before  the  house,  he  inva- 
riably spoke.  Since  it  has  been  in  a  great  measure  settled, 
he  seldom  addresses  the  house.  His  voice  is  strong,  but 
pleasant.  There  is  much  simplicity  in  his  manner  of  speak- 
ing. He  makes  no  pretensions  to,  nor  efforts  at  oratory.  He 
hardly  uses  any  gesture,  except  it  be  in  the  moderate  move- 
ment of  his  right  arm.  He  is  a  man  of  respectable  talents. 
There  is  always  much  good  sense  in  what  he  says,  and  occa- 
sionally some  happy  ideas.  He  is  listened  to  with  attention 
by  the  house.  In  fact,  his  irreproachable  private  character, 
and  his  consistent  public  conduct,  could  not  fail  to  command 
respect  from  men  of  all  shades  of  political  feeling.  He  is,  in 
person,  very  tall  and  muscular.  He  is  full  six  feet  two  in 
height,  and  of  proportional  stoutness,  He  usually  wears  a 
blue  coat.  His  clothes  are  always  good,  but  they  are  never 
well  made.  He  is  slightly  pitted  with  the  small-pox.  His 
features  are  distinctly  marked.  His  nose  is  large,  and  is 
made  more  prominent  by  its  being  generally  surmounted  by  a 
pair  of  spectacles.  He  is,  as  already  hinted,  greatly  esteemed 
by  men  of  all  parties  in  the  house.  He  is  in  his  fifty-fourth 
year. 

Mr.  ANDREW  JOHNSTON,  member  for  the  St.  Andrew's  dis- 
trict of  burghs,  has  lately  become  son-in-law  to  Mr.  Buxton. 
He  is  a  young  man,  being  only  about  thirty-five  years  of  age. 
He  is  about  the  middle  size  in  personal  stature,  and  of  a  some- 
what slender  make.  His  hair  is  dark,  and  his  complexion 
slightly  fair.  His  features  are  regular,  and  his  countenance 
has  altogether  a  pleasing  aspect.  He  speaks  tolerably  well, 
but  not  without  previously  committing  what  he  means  to  say 
to  memory.  The  question  in  which  he  takes  the  deepest  in- 
terest is  that  of  the  existing  state  of  church  patronage  in 
Scotland.  He  is  for  the  repeal  of  the  statute  of  Queen  Anne, 
which  took  from  the  male  members  and  hearers  of  every 
16* 


186  MR.  WILKS. 

church,  the  right  of  choosing  their  own  pastor,  and  transferred 
that  right  to  some  one  individual  having  large  property  in  the 
respective  parishes.  For  the  last  three  or  tour  Sessions  he 
has  brought  forward  a  formal  motion  for  the  repeal  of  this 
statute;  but  the  friends  of  Ministers  have  always  taken  care 
either  that  there  should  be  no  house  on  the  night  fixed  for  the 
motion,  or  if  there  were  at  the  commencement  of  his  speech, 
that  it  should  thin  sufficiently,  before  he  had  got  to  the  middle 
of  it,  to  admit  of  its  being  counted  out.  The  opinions  of  the 
house  have  consequently  never  yet  been  ascertained  on  this 
subject,  though  it  be  one  in  which  the  people  of  Scotland  take 
the  liveliest  interest. 

The  treatment  Mr.  Johnston  has  lately  received  from  his 
constituents  is  sure  to  lead  to  one  out  of  two  effects  as  regards 
other  members.  It  will  either  prevent  their  giving  positive 
pledges  to  the  electors  at  all,  or  if  they  do,  they  will  give 
those  only  which  they  mean  in  earnest  to  redeem.  At  the 
last  election,  Mr.  Johnston,  according  to  the  representations 
of  his  constituents,  pledged  himself  to  vote  for  the  appropria- 
tion of  any  surplus  church  property  that  might  be  found  to 
exist,  to  other  than  ecclesiastical  purposes ;  but  when  Lord 
John  Russell  brought  forward  his  motion,  recognizing  the 
right  of  the  State  to  deal  with  church  property  as  it  thought 
fit,  he  did  not  vote  at  all.  Since  then,  he  has  been  called  on, 
time  after  time,  by  large  bodies  of  his  constituents,  to  resign 
his  seat,  which  they  say  he  also  pledged  himself  on  the  hust- 
ings to  do,  should  a  majority  of  his  constituents  require  such 
resignation  at  his  hands.  He  and  they  give  different  versions 
of  what  he  said  on  that  occasion.  Which  party  is  in  the  right, 
whether  the  representative  or  the  represented,  I  have  no 
means  of  knowing.  If  he  did  break  a  positive  unequivocal 
pledge,  he  has  been  amply  punished  for  it ;  for  his  seat  must 
have  been  one  of  thorns  to  him  ever  since.  There  can  be  no 
justification  for  a  man  who  makes  pledges  and  breaks  them ; 
but  I  cannot  help  saying  that  Mr.  Johnston  has  been  hardly 
dealt  with  compared  with  many  other  honourable  members, 
some  of  whom  have  violated  their  pledges,  made  in  the  heat 
of  a  hustings  speech,  by  the  dozen. 

Mr.  WILKS,  the  member  for  Boston,  is  the  great  champion 
of  the  Dissenters.  In  fact,  he  may  be  called  their  representa- 
tive. In  everything  that  relates  to  their  interests,  he  takes 
the  lead  in  the  house.  When  a  measure  affecting  their  rights 
and  privileges  is  brought  forward,  one  may  with  certainty 


MR.  BAINES.  187 

conclude  from  the  course  he  takes  as  to  the  reception  such 
measure  will  meet  with  from  that  numerous  body  throughout 
the  country.  He  is  a  man  of  respectable  talents.  As  a 
speaker  he  is  somewhat  above  mediocrity.  He  has  a  rather 
awkward  way  of  mouthing  the  words,  and  sometimes  expecto- 
rates slightly,  but  he  speaks  with  ease  and  some  fluency. 
His  voice  is  not  good :  it  wants  clearness,  which,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  his  not  very  distinct  articulation,  makes  him  some- 
times difficult  to  be  heard.  He  is  occasionally  animated  in 
his  manner,  and  makes  a  rather  effective  speech.  He  is 
defective  in  pronouncing  the  letter  r.  He  speaks  pretty 
often,  though  all  his  best  efforts  are  on  questions  affecting  the 
Dissenters.  He  by  no  means  acquits  himself  so  well  in  the 
house  as  out  of  it.  I  have  heard  him  make  really  excellent 
and  effective  speeches  at  Exeter  Hall,  and  other  places,  in  his 
capacity  of  Secretary  to  the  Society  for  the  Protection  of  Civil 
and  Religious  Liberty. 

In  person,  Mr.  Wilks  is  of  the  middle  size,  full  and  well 
formed.  He  has  a  venerable  appearance.  His  face  is  angu- 
lar. His  nose  is  prominent,  and  his  eyes  are  large.  His 
complexion  is  florid,  and  his  hair  of  a  dark  brown.  The 
crown  of  his  head  is  partially  bald.  He  is  nearly  sixty  years 
of  age.  He  usually  sits  on  the  Opposition  side  of  the  house. 

Mr.  BAINES,  the  member  for  Leeds,  is  also  a  Dissenter.  He 
is  a  respectable  speaker.  His  voice  is  clear,  but  monotonous. 
He  times  his  utterance  to  the  ear  with  good  taste,  and  speaks 
with  much  ease  and  accuracy  of  language.  If  he  is  never 
eloquent,  he  invariably  speaks  great  good  sense.  His  speeches 
are  always  short,  but  pithy  and  to  the  point.  They  would 
have  more  effect,  if  delivered  with  greater  animation.  He  is 
a  man  of  extensive  information  on  all  subjects  connected  with 
manufactures,  especially  those  of  Lancashire.  He  is  also  in- 
telligent on  general  topics.  He  is  proprietor  of  the  Leeds 
Mercury,  which  is  conducted  by  his  son,  with  whom  he  is 
sometimes  confounded.  It  was  Mr.  Baines,  junior,  and  not 
Mr.  Baines,  the  member,  who  lately^  published  an  able  and 
very  elaborate  work  on  the  manufactures  of  Lancashire.  He 
is,  however,  the  author  of  a  History  of  Lancashire.  Mr. 
Baines  is  much  respected  in  the  house.  His  manners  are 
mild  and  conciliatory,  but  very  plain.  He  usually  wears  a 
blue  coat.  In  personal  height,  he  is  about  the  middle  size, 
but  of  a  robust  frame.  His  hair  is  red,  and  his  complexion 
fair.  His  countenance  is  pleasing,  and  rather  intelligent. 


188  MR.  FINCH. — COLONEL  PEIICIVAL. 

His  features  are  regular.  lie  is  what  would  be  called  a  good- 
looking  man.  He  is  in  his  sixty-first  year. 

Mr.  FINCH,  the  member  for  Stamford,  always  takes  an 
active  part  in  all  proceedings  in  the  house  which  affect  the 
interests  of  the  Church  of  England.  He  is  a  man  of  respecta- 
ble talents,  and  is  a  pleasant,  though  certainly  not  a  showy, 
speaker.  His  voice  is  clear,  but  not  strong.  He  speaks  with 
ease,  but  never  rises  to  eloquence.  He  is  a  man  of  excellent 
private  character.  In  his  politics  he  is  Conservative.  He 
occasionally  takes  a  Bible  with  him  in  his  pocket  to  the  house. 
When,  towards  the  close  of  last  Session,  a  keen  discussion 
took  place  one  night  relative  to  some  proposed  grant  of  money 
for  the  purposes  of  education  in  Ireland,  of  which  grant  the 
Roman  Catholics  were  to  receive  a  part,  some  honourable 
member  chanced  to  introduce  a  verse  from  the  Scriptures,  which 
bore  on  the  point  in  dispute,  when  another  honourable  mem- 
ber— I  think  it  was  Mr.  Sergeant  Jackson,  for  nearly  twenty 
years  Secretary  to  the  Dublin  Kildare-street  Society, — main- 
tained that  the  text  was  not  correctly  quoted.  Several  other 
members  gave  quite  different  versions  from  what  either  of  the 
first  two  had  done ;  in  short,  the  floor  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons became  an  arena  for  the  display  of  the  biblical  know- 
ledge of  the  members.  The  controversy — as  theological  con- 
versies  usually  do — became  very  keen  as  to  the  literal  version 
of  the  text  in  question,  when  Mr.  Finch  at  once  set  the  matter 
to  rest,  by  putting  his  hand  into  his  pocket,  and*pulling  out  a 
very  handsome  diamond  Bible,  from  which,  amidst  shouts  of 
laughter,  he  read  the  passage  in  question.  If  I  remember 
rightly,  all  the  honourable  members  who  took  part  in  the  dis- 
cussion as  to  the  exact  wording  of  the  passage,  were  more  or 
less  in  error. 

Mr.  Finch  is  small  in  bodily  stature,  but  firmly  and  com- 
pactly made.  His  face  is  round,  and  has  a  cheerful  expression. 
His  complexion  is  dark,  and  his  hair  a  jet  black.  His  eye- 
lashes are  large,  and  his  eyes  have  always  a  laughing  appear- 
ance. He  is  about  forty  years  of  age. 

Colonel  PERCEVAL,  member  for  the  county  of  Sligo,  is 
equally  zealous  with  Mr.  Finch  in  his  attachment  to  the 
Church  of  England.  He  is  also  of  the  same  political  opinions. 
He  is  above  mediocrity  as  a  speaker.  He  has  a  fine  powerful 
voice,  but  it  wants  variety.  He  speaks  with  much  ease  and 
fluency,  and,  without  any  seeming  effort,  makes  himself  heard 
in  all  parts  of  the  house.  In  his  manner  you  see  a  man  of  de- 


MAJOR  CUMMING  BRUCE.  189 

cisive  mind  and  firmness  of  purpose.  His  gesture,  when  speak- 
ing, is  very  gentle.  It  consists  almost  exclusively  of  a  slight 
movement  of  the  right  arm.  He  is  good  at  reply,  and  is  happy 
at  pinning  down  an  opponent  to  any  injudicious  admission  he 
has  made.  He  also  excels  in  keeping  members  to  the  real 
question  at  issue.  He  is  an  Orangeman,  and  ably  and  boldly 
vindicates  that  party  from  the  charges  preferred  against  it  by 
the  Irish  Liberal  members.  He  never  shrinks  from  grappling 
with  Mr.  O'Connell  or  Mr.  Shiel,  and  I  believe  Mr.  O'Connell 
thinks  him  one  of  the  most  formidable  opponents  he  has  in  the 
house,  in  all  matters  of  dispute  between  the  Orange  and  Ro- 
man Catholic  parties  of  Ireland. 

Colonel  Perceval  is,  in  person,  of  the  usual  height,  but  of  a 
strong  muscular  frame.  He  has  a  fine  handsome  face.  His 
appearance  altogether  is  that  of  a  perfect  gentleman.  His  age 
is  about  forty-five. 

Major  GUMMING  BRUCE,  the  member  for  the  Inverness  dis- 
trict of  burghs,  and  grandson- in-law  to  Bruce,*  the  celebrated 
Abyssinian  traveller,  has  distinguished  himself,  during  the  five 
years  he  has  been  in  Parliament,  by  his  zealous  advocacy  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland  as  at  present  constituted.  He  strenu- 
ously opposes  every  proposition  for  the  slightest  alteration  in 
the  constitution  of  that  Church.  In  his  political  opinions  he 
is  a  decided  Tory,  He  is  a  very  fair  speaker,  and  a  man  of 
considerable  talents.  His  voice  has  a  curious  sound,  of  which 
it  is  difficult  to  convey  an  idea.  It  is  clear,  but  has  a  sort  of 
twang.  It  is  not,  however,  unpleasant.  He  speaks  easily 
and  with  some  fluency.  He  is  a  man  of  great  moral  courage. 
However  unpopular  his  opinions  he  never  shrinks  from  a  fear- 
less assertion  of  them.  I  have  heard  him  make  some  able 
speeches.  Those  he  makes  on  religious  subjects — and  he 
seldom  speaks  on  any  other — have  much  of  a  decidedly  reli- 
gious character  about  them.  There  are  few  men  in  the  house 
better  acquainted  with  the  Scriptures,  and  I  have  never  heard 
any  member  quote  from  the  Bible  more  largely.  The  house 
often,  in  such  cases,  attempts  to  put  him  down,  but  never  with 
effect.  He  never  loses  his  presence  of  mind,  and  is  not  to  be 
driven  from  his  purpose. 


*  In  consequence  of  his  marriage  with  the  grand-daughter  of 
Bruce,  the  Major  has  added  that  of  Bruce  to  his  former  name  of 
Gumming. 


190  MR.  POULTER. 

In  person  he  is  tall,  and  of  a  slender  form.  He  is  in  deli- 
cate health.  His  countenance  has  a  studious  pensive  ex- 
pression. His  complexion  is  pale,  and  his  hair  of  a  dark 
brown.  His  face  is  angular,  and  his  features  are  rather  large. 
He  is  about  forty-five  years  of  age. 

Mr.  POULTER,  member  for  Shaflesbury,  has  brought  himself 
into  some  distinction  by  the  bills  for  the  better  observance  of 
the  Sabbath,  which  he  brought  into  the  house  in  the  Session 
of  1834,  and  in  that  of  the  present  year.  His  views  on  the 
subject  of  the  way  in  which  the  Sabbath  ought  to  be  kept,  are 
not  nearly  so  strict  as  those  of  Sir  Andrew  Agnew.  He  is 
willing,  for  example,  to  make  an  exception  in  favour  of  the 
gardeners  and  green  grocers  in  Covent  Garden  and  other 
•places,  and  also  in  favour  of  the  venders  of  certain  other  kinds 
of  perishable  commodities.  When  a  deputation  of  persons 
connected  with  Covent  Garden  waited  on  him  to  remonstrate 
with  him  respecting  certain  provisions  of  his  last  Bill,  he  ex- 
pressed himself  willing  to  hear  any  objections  to  his  measure, 
and  to  make  any  alterations  and  amendments  which  could  be 
proved  to  be  necessary,  adding  that  he  begged  it  to  be  dis- 
tinctly understood  he  was  no  Puritan.  In  politics  he  is  mode- 
rately Liberal.  He  opposed  the  Government  of  Sir  Robert 
Peel,  and  almost  invariably  supports  that  of  Lord  Melbourne. 
He  is  a  grandson  of  the  late  Brownlow  North,  Bishop  of  Win- 
chester. He  is  by  profession  a  barrister,  though  I  believe  he 
does  not  now  practise. 

Mr.  Pouller  is  a  man  of  fair  talents.  He  is  a  good  speaker. 
His  voice  is  both  powerful  and  pleasant,  and  his  utterance  is 
well  timed  to  the  ear.  His  style  is  clear  and  correct.  He 
speaks  with  much  ease  and  fluency.  He  is  a  ,man  of  excellent 
private  character.  Few  men  have  more  self-possession  when 
interrupted  in  speaking,  which  he  sometimes  is  by  certain 
members  who  deem  the  introduction  of  religious  matters  in 
any  shape,  into  the  house,  an  infliction  of  no  ordinary  kind. 
I  have  repeatedly  admired  the  good  temper,  perfect  coolness, 
and  gentlemanly  conduct  he  has  displayed  on  such  occasions. 
In  describing  one  of  the  general  scenes  in  the  house,  it  will  be 
seen  that  he  was  one  of  the  members  assailed  with  the  tre- 
mendous uproar  which  was  caused  on  that  occasion.  Even 
then,  when  a  man  might  as  well  have  been  attacked  by  all  the 
Furies  in  concert,  he  appeared  as  calm,  collected,  and  well 
pleased,  as  if  there  had  been  a  breathless  silence  in  the  house. 


MR.  SINCLAIR.  191 

He  does  not  speak  often,  and  seldom  at  any  great  length  at  a 
time. 

Mr.  Poulter  is  a  handsome-looking  man.  In  personal  height 
he  is  about  the  middle  size,  and  of  a  rather  stout  and  compact 
make.  His  complexion  is  slightly  dark,  and  his  hair  quite 
black.  He  has  a  fine  forehead,  and  his  features,  which  are 
regular  and  prepossessing,  have  an  intelligent  expression. 
He  is  seemingly  about  forty  years  of  age. 

Mr.  SINCLAIR,  the  member  for  Caithness-shire,  is  the  last 
of  the  religious  members  I  shall  notice.  He  was  formerly, 
like  his  father,  Sir  John  Sinclair,  the  celebrated  agricultural 
and  statistical  writer,  of  decided  Whig  principles,  but  he  took 
the  same  view  of  the  Irish  Church  Appropriation  question  as 
the  Government  of  Sir  Robert  Peel,  when  that  question  was 
brought  before  the  house  by  Lord  John  Russell — since  which 
time  he  has  uniformly  voted  and  acted  with  the  Conservatives. 
Like  Mr.  Andrew  Johnston,  Mr.  Sinclair  has  chiefly  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  his  exertions  to  procure  a  repeal  of  the 
law  of  patronage  with  respect  to  the  Church  of  Scotland.  He 
is  a  man  of  respectable  talents ;  but  has  fallen  far  short  of  that 
eminence  in  the  world  to  which  Lord  Byron,  who  was  his 
school  companion  and  most  intimate  friend  in  early  life,  pre- 
dicted he  would  attain.  Byron's  opinion  was,  that  Mr.  Sin- 
clair possessed  splendid  talents,  though  at  the  time  he  uttered 
the  above  prediction  they  had  not  been  fully  developed.  Time 
has  only  served  to  show  how  erroneous  are  the  estimates 
which  the  greatest  geniuses  sometimes  form  of  the  intellects 
of  others. 

Mr.  Sinclair  is  a  passable  speaker.  His  voice  is  sufficiently 
audible  when  he  endeavours  to  make  himself  heard ;  at  other 
times,  he  is  but  imperfectly  heard  by  those  who  are  most  re- 
mote from  him.  His  voice  is  clear  and  pleasant,  but  wants 
flexibility.  His  gesture  is  usually  moderate,  though  occasion- 
ally he  is  not  without  energy  of  manner.  He  does  not  speak 
often.  The  best  speech  1  ever  heard  him  make  was  a  short 
one  on  the  dissolution  of  the  Administration  of  Sir  Robert  Peel, 
and  the  reconstruction  of  the  Melbourne  Government.  In  this 
speech  there  were  several  clever  points.  "  I  have,"  said  he, 
"  refrained  from  hazarding  any  remarks  as  to  the  new,  or 
rather  renovated  Ministerial  edifice,  until  the  complete  eleva- 
tion shall  stand  before  the  public  in  all  the  stateliness  of  its 
outline,  and  in  all  the  symmetry  of  its  proportions.  The  three 
divisions  of  the  empire  have  contributed  their  respective 


192  MR.  SINCLAIR. 

quotas  towards  promoting  its  stability  and  providing  for  its 
embellishment  It  must  be  admitted,  that  consummate  dis- 
cretion and  admirable  dexterity  have  been  displayed,  not  only 
in  the  choice  but  in  the  exclusion  of  certain  materials.  Some 
hypercritics  expected  to  see  the  main  building  supported  by  a 
colossal  column  of  basalt  from  the  Giant's  Causeway  ;*  but " 

Here  Mr.  Sinclair  was  interrupted  by  Mr.  Methuen  rising 
to  order,  and  saying  "  he  could  not  see  what  the  Giant's 
Causeway  had  to  do  with  the  question  before  the  house." 

Mr.  Sinclair  resumed. — "  I  believe  that  if  we  were  to  dig  a 
trench  deep  enough  to  reach  the  foundations,  we  should  find 
the  corner-stone  of  the  edifice  so  entirely  composed  of  that 
substance,  that  if  its  support  were  taken  away,  the  whole 
would  at  once  be  laid  prostrate  on  the  earth.  The  fabric  of  the 
late  Government  is  now  destroyed ;  and  the  noble  Secretary-at- 
War  (Lord  John  Russell),  who  on  two  late  occasions  said  he 
would  consider  that  event  a  misfortune,  may  now,  like  Marius 
on  the  ruins  of  Carthage,  wander  amid  the  storied  urns  and 
broken  columns,  indulging  in  a  lugubrious  soliloquy  on  the  in- 
stability of  human  greatness,  unless  the  official  syrup,  which 
has  now  been  administered,  shall  operate  as  a  soothing  and 
salutary  anodyne  to  calm  his  perturbed  spirit.  With  respect 
to  the  new  Administration,  I  fear  that  they  will  find  their  po- 
sition most  painful  and  embarrassing.  They  will  feel  them- 
selves compelled  to  pursue  a  dubious  and  vacillating  course, 
now  veering  towards  the  Radical  reefs  of  Scylla,  and  then 
tacking  towards  the  Conservative  quicksands  of  Charybdis. 
They  will  be  halting  between  the  Court  and  the  Radicals — 
anxious  to  keep  well  with  the  one,  and  yet  afraid  to  break  with 
the  other — bold  enough  to  alarm  the  Tories,  and  yet  too  timid 
to  satisfy  the  Destructives.  The  consequence  of  which  will 
at  length  be,  that  at  an  early  period  of  the  ensuing  Session,  if 
not  before  (on  some  day  which  I  leave  to  be  settled  in  the  next 
edition  of  Moore's  planetary  almanack,)  an  ominous  and  tem- 
porary junction  will  take  place  between  the  Wellington  Mars, 
and  the  O'Connell  Jupiter,  with  all  his  tributary  satellites — 
a  motion  will  be  made  (perhaps  by  the  Right  Hon.  Baronet, 
the  member  for  Kent,f  and  seconded  by  Mr.  O'Dwyer,  the 
late  and  probably  future  member  for  Drogheda)  that  the  house 


*  The  reference  here  was  to  Mr.  O'Conncll. 
t  Sir  Edward  Knatchbull. 


Hit.  SINCLAIR.  193 

has  no  confidence  in  his  Majesty's  Ministers ;  and  on  a  divi- 
sion, the  number  will  appear: — Ayes  426,  Noes  197 — Ma- 
jority 229." 

Mr.  Sinclair  is  in  personal  height  about  the  usual  size. 
His  complexion  is  fair,  and  his  hair  light.  On  the  fore  part  of 
his  head  there  is  an  incipient  baldness.  His  features  are  large, 
and  have  something  of  an  intellectual  expression  about  them. 
He  is  in  his  forty-fifth  year. 

It  may  be  proper  to  mention,  in  concluding  this  chapter, 
that  the  above  are  not  all  the  religious  members  in  the  house. 
•They  are  those  only  who,  on  all  occasions  when  religious 
topics  are  introduced,  take  the  most  prominent  part  in  the  dis- 
cussion of  them. 


17 


194  NEW  MEMBERS. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

NEW    MEMBERS. 

Sir  William  Follett — Mr.   Serjeant  Talfourd — Mr.   Borthwick — 
Colonel  Thompson. 

THE  number  of  new  members  returned  at  the  last  election 
was  not  so  great  as  might,  under  the  circumstances,  have 
been  expected ;  and  but  very  few  of  those  that  were  then  re- 
turned tor  the  first  time,  had  previously  occupied  any  very 
prominent  place  in  public  estimation. 

On  the  Tory,  or  Conservative  side,  the  most  valuable  new 
return,  beyond  all  question,  was  that  of  Sir  WILLIAM  FOLLETT, 
the  member  for  Exeter.  Sir  William,  though  only  in  his 
thirty-second  year,  had  already  raised  himself  to  the  highest 
distinction  as  a  lawyer.  He  was  known  not  only  to  be  an 
excellent  speaker,  but  a  man  of  very  rare  talents,  and  of  great 
intellectual  acquirements.  He  was  known,  at  the  same  time, 
to  be  decidedly  in  favour  of  Conservative  views:  hence  that 
party  greeted  him  with  a  most  cordial  welcome  on  his  en- 
trance into  Parliament.  He  was  also  appointed  Solicitor 
General  by  Sir  Robert  Peel,  which  gave  him  additional  im- 
portance. His  maiden  speech  was  looked  forward  to  with 
great  anxiety,  not  only  by  the  Conservative  party,  but  by  the 
Whigs  and  Radicals.  It  was  generally  expected  that  he 
would  have  spoken  on  the  answer  to  the  King's  speech ;  but 
he  allowed  the  occasion  to  pa.ss  over  without  saying  a  word. 
Weeks  passed  away  and  he  was  silent.  The  Church  Surplus 
Property  Appropriation  question  came  on  for  discussion,  and 
as  that  was  a  question  which  not  only  most  deeply  affected 
some  of  the  principles  he  most  warmly  cherished,  but  was,  in 
its  results,  to  be  decisive  of  the  fate  of  the  Government  of 
which  he  formed  a  part,  he  could  no  longer  remain  mute.  He 
accordingly  spoke,  on  the  second  night  of  the  debate,  if  I  re- 
member rightly,  and  seldom  had  an  abler  or  more  effective 
speech  been  delivered  within  the  walls  of  Parliament.  His 
speech  occupied  an  hour  and  a  quarter  in  the  delivery,  and 
was  listened  to  from  beginning  to  end  witli  breathless  atten- 
tion. The  regret  which  men  of  all  shades  of  political  opinion 


SIR  WILLIAM  FOLLETT.  195 

felt,  was  that  it  did  not  last  longer.  It  was  commended  in 
the  warmest  terms  by  every  one  who  heard  it.  The  next 
great  question  on  which  he  spoke  was  that  of  the  Municipal 
Corporation  Reform.  On  it  he  spoke  repeatedly,  and  with 
very  great  eloquence  and  ability.  There  is  a  remarkable 
clearness  in  his  speeches.  He  makes  you  understand,  as  fully 
as  he  does  himself,  the  drift  of  his  argument.  His  mode  of 
thinking  is  vigorous,  and  his  reasoning  is  close  and  masterly. 
He  never  digresses  for  a  moment  from  the  object  he  has  in 
view,  nor  loses  sight  of  the  positions  he  wishes  to  establish. 
You  see  what  he  would  be  at,  and  you  see  he  is  leading  you 
to  it  by  the  most  direct  road.  His  style  is  also  chaste  and 
nervous ;  it  is  elegant  without  being  flowery.  He  never  goes 
out  of  his  way  in  quest  of  rhetorical  expressions.  He  employs 
the  phraseology  which  most  readily  and  naturally  suggests 
itself  to  his  mind,  and  yet  it  could  hardly  be  improved,  how- 
ever great  were  the  amount  of  labour  bestowed,  upon  it. 
His  manner  is  also  simple  and  natural.  He  does  not  use  any 
extravagant  gesture :  he  chiefly  confines  it  to  a  slight  move- 
ment of  his  face  and  body  from  one  part  of  the  opposite  side 
of  the  house  to  another,  and  to  a  gentle  raising  and  lowering 
of  his  right  arm,  accompanied  by  an  occasional  stroke  of  his 
hand  on  the  table.  His  voice  partakes,  in  a  very  great  de- 
gree, of  a  bass  tone,  which,  as  he  can  modulate  it  at  pleasure, 
is  particularly  effective  in  the  most  impassioned  parts  of  his 
speeches.  His  utterance  is  timed  with  much  good  taste  to 
the  ear ;  it  is  neither  too  rapid  nor  too  slow.  His  articulation 
is  very  distinct ;  and  he  always  speaks  loud  enough  to  be  heard 
in  all  parts  of  the  house. 

In  personal  height  he  is  about  the  usual  size  ;  but  inclines 
to  stoutness.  His  frame  is  compact,  and  seemingly  very 
strong.  His  features  are  strongly  marked.  His  nose  is  short 
and  flat ;  and  his  eye-lashes  unusually  large.  His  face  is 
round,  his  complexion  very  dark,  and  his  hair  black.  His 
countenance  is  pleasing,  but  certainly  wants  the  intellectual 
expression  which  might  be  expected  in  such  a  man.  He  is 
undoubtedly  the  most  promising  man,  of  any  party,  who  has 
entered  Parliament  for  some  years  past.  The  Conservatives 
may  well  be  proud  of  him. 

Among  the  new  Liberal  members  returned  at  the  last  elec- 
tion, Mr.  SERJEANT  TALFOCRD  was  by  far  the  best  known.  I 
never  knew  a  man  enter  Parliament  concerning  whom  I  had 
higher  expectations.  I  had  heard  him  speak  repeatedly  out 


196  MR.  SERJEANT  TALFOURD. 

of  doors,  and  coupling  that  with  his  acknowledged  literary 
attainments,  and  the  burning  enthusiasm  with  which  he  was 
known  to  cherish  his  principles,  I  was  fully  persuaded,  in  my 
own  mind,  that  his  first  exhibition  would  dazzle  and  delight 
the  house.  The  event  proved  I  had  made  a  miscalculation. 
He  made  his  deb(it  the  night  after  Sir  William  Folleft,  to 
whose  speech  his  was  chiefly  a  reply.  He  spoke  tor  about  an 
hour,  but  did  not,  to  any  extent,  gain  the  attention  of  the 
house.  Considerable  noise,  and  great  listlcssness,  prevailed 
all  the  time.  In  short,  his  debtit  was  a  complete  failure  in  so 
far  as  effect  was  concerned,  though  the  speech  was  one  of 
great  eloquence  and  ability.  There  were  many  accidental 
circumstances,  it  is  true,  which  operated  against  him.  He 
was,  in  the  first  place,  most  unhappy  in  the  time  he  chose  for 
addressing  the  house.  It  was  so  early  as  six  o'clock,  an  hour 
when  no  man  of  any  note  is  ever  expected  to  speak,  and  when, 
from  the  noise  and  confusion,  caused  by  members  entering 
the  house,  even  the  most  popular  and  influential  members 
could  hardly  insure  attention.  Then,  again,  the  house  was 
remarkably  thin  at  the  time ;  and  nothing  can  more  seriously 
impair  the  effect  of  a  good  speech,  than  its  delivery  when  the 
benches  are  empty.  Lastly,  he  pitched  his  voice  in  too  low  a 
key.  He  spoke  no  louder  than  he  was  accustomed  to  do  in 
the  courts  of  law,  forgetting  the  house  was  six  times  as  large, 
and  the  members  diffused  over  eight  or  nine  times  the  space  ; 
for  in  courts  of  law,  all  the  persons  present  are  generally  con- 
gregated within  a  few  yards  of  the  counsel.  But  besides 
these  disadvantageous  circumstances,  there  was  something  in 
the  matter  of  the  speech,  which  militated  greatly  against  its 
enthusiastic,  or  even  favourable  reception.  It  was  far  too  re- 
fined :  it  was  one  of  the  most  elaborate  and  philosophically 
reasoned  I  ever  heard  delivered  in  the  house.  There  were 
but  few  members  who,  even  after  the  most  close  attention, 
would  have  been  able  to  follow  the  speaker,  and  if  once  you 
lost  the  thread  of  his  argument,  the  rest  would  have  been  in 
a  great  measure  unintelligible  to  you.  It  was  exactly  a  speech 
of  that  nature,  which  ought  to  have  been  delivered  in  a  quiet, 
snug  room,  to  a  dozen  or  so  of  the  most  philosophical  \nen  of 
the  present  day.  In  that  case  it  would  have  been  appreciated : 
the  admiration  of  it  by  such  an  audience,  would  have  known 
no  bounds. 

Mr.  Serjeant  Talfourd  is  poetical  and  eloquent  in  the  high- 
est degree.     His  matter  almost  cloys  one  with  its  richness. 


MR.  BORTHWICK.  197 

In  beautiful  and  appropriate  imagery,  he  excels  all  men  I  ever 
heard  speak: — I  mean  in  the  more  carefully  wrought  passages 
when  speaking  on  important  questions.  He  is  fond  of  intro- 
ducing a  great  deal  of  scriptural  phraseology  into  his  speeches. 
In  his  maiden  efforts  in  Parliament,  there  was  much  of  this. 
He  talked  of  "  quitting  themselves  like  men,"  of  being  "  knit 
together  in  love,"  &c.  &c. 

His  second,  and  I  believe,  only  other  speech  in  the  house, 
was  in  defence  of  the  Municipal  Corporation  Bill.  It  was 
very  short.  It  did  not  occupy  above  ten  minutes  in  the  deli- 
very. It  was  much  less  refined  than  the  other,  and  was  de- 
livered at  a  more  suitable  hour  of  the  evening,  and  to  a  house 
in  a  more  attentive  mood.  It  consequently  told  with  better 
effect.  Still,  the  reception  he  met  with  on  the  occasion,  was 
not  at  all  equal  to  what  would  have  been  expected  by  those 
who  have  heard  him  in  the  courts  of  law. 

In  person  Mr.  Sergeant  Talfourd  is  about  the  middle  size, 
and  well  made.  His  hair  is  black,  and  his  complexion  very 
dark.  His  features  are  small,  and  his  face  round.  He  has  the 
most  piercing  eyes  I  ever  saw ;  they  have  much  of  what  lovers 
call  a  languishing  expression  about  them.  His  face  has  alto- 
gether much  of  a  soft  and  feminine  appearance.  He  is  a  man 
of  much  kindness  of  heart,  and  much  affability  of  manner.  I 
question  if  there  be  a  man  of  more  cultivated  mind  in  the 
house.  He  is  about  forty  years  of  age. 

Mr.  BORTHWICK,  the  member  for  Evesham,  is  one  of  whom 
great  expectations  were  also  entertained  by  those  who  pre- 
viously knew  him.  He  is  a  Conservative,  and  is  returned 
through  the  influence  of  a  rich  Conservative  baronet.  As  a 
speaker  at  public  meetings,  before  he  entered  Parliament,  he 
has  seldom  been  surpassed ;  as  a  debater,  I  hardly  ever  knew 
his  equal.  His  talents  for  public  speaking  and  debating  were 
so  warmly  spoken  of  by  those  who  had  an  opportunity  of  form- 
ing an  opinion  on  the  subject,  that  the  West-India  interest 
appointed  him,  in  1832-33,  to  make  the  tour  of  the  country, 
for  the  purpose  of  replying  to  the  statements  made  by  the 
Abolitionists,  respecting  the  condition  of  the  negroes  in  the 
colonies.  And  ably  did  he  perform  his  task.  I  may  mention,  in 
proof  of  the  expectations  which  his  own  party  entertained  of 
a  successful  parliamentary  debut,  that  the  first  time  he  spoke, 
which  was  in  the  second  week  of  the  Session,  Sir  Robert 
Peel  paid  the  most  marked  attention  to  him  for  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes;  but,  as  if  satisfied  that  Mr.  Borthwick's 
17* 


198  COLONEL  THOMPSON. 

talents  had  bocn  over-rated,  the  right  honourable  Baronet  then 
quitted  the  house.  Mr.  Borthwick  continued  to  speak  for 
nearly  an  hour  after,  but  very  little  attention  was  paid  to  what 
he  said.  He  has  often  spoken  since,  but  somehow  or  other  is 
very  unpopular  in  the  house.  In  the  very  last  speech  he 
made,  which  was  within  a  fortnight  of  the  close  of  the  Ses- 
sion, he  was  coughed,  and  sneezed,  and  yawned  at,  and  ironi- 
cally cheered,  to  a  very  unpleasant  extent.  In  the  midst  of 
these  interruptions,  he  uttered  a  rather  unusual  threat.  He 
said,  that  if  the  house  did  not  allow  him  to  conclude  in  his 
own  time,  and  in  his  own  way,  he  was  determined  not  to 
conclude  at  all.  A  universal  shout  of  laughter  greeted  the 
sentence. 

In  stature  he  is  rather  under  the  middle  size.  He  is  well 
formed,  and  has  a  very  handsome  face.  His  complexion  is 
slightly  dark,  and  his  hair  a  beautiful  black.  He  is  about 
thirty-five  years  of  age. 

Colonel  THOMPSON,  the  member  for  Hull,  was  not  returned 
at  the  last  general  election.  He  was  chosen  on  the  death  of 
Mr.  Carruthers,  the  late  member.  He  was  one  from  whom 
great  things  were  expected  by  the  Radical  party,  to  whom  he 
•belongs,  and  for  whom  he  has  done  so  much  by  his  writings 
in  the  Westminster  Review.  Of  that  journal  he  is  now  sole 
editor,  Dr.  Bowring  having  quitted  the  management  of  it 
eighteen  or  twenty  months  since.  Colonel  Thompson  cannot 
be  said  to  have  failed,  because  he  has  not  yet  attempted  any- 
thing in  the  way  of  speaking.  He  has  not  yet,  I  believe,  de- 
livered a  single  sentence  even  in  the  course  of  the  desultory 
conversation  which  so  often  occurs  when  the  house  is  in  Com- 
mittee. I  have  heard  him  speak  in  public  ;  he  is  by  no  means 
an  attractive  speaker,  and  I  have  no  idea  he  will  ever  acquire 
any  distinction  in  that  way  in  the  house.  As  a  writer,  how- 
ever, he  is  one  of  the  most  nervous  and  acute,  though  gene- 
rally quaint  in  style,  of  the  present  day.  He  is  a  thorough- 
going Radical,  and  is  allowed,  by  all  who  know  him,  to  be  a 
man  of  the  strictest  integrity. 

In  person,  he  is  short  and  stout.  He  dresses  plainly.  He 
generally  wears  a  blue  coat.  His  complexion  is  a  mixture  of 
red  and  fair.  His  face  is  large,  and  has  something  of  the  oval 
form.  His  hair  is  beginning  to  get  gray.  He  is  about  sixty 
years  of  age.  He  is  one  of  the  most  attentive  men  to  his  par- 
liamentary duties  in  the  house. 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS.  199 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CONCLUDING  REMARKS. 

IT  can  hardly  be  necessary  to  mention,  that  in  selecting  for 
special  notice  the  members  whose  names  I  have  given  in  pre- 
vious chapters  of  this  work,  I  have  been  guided  solely  by  the 
frequency  with  which  their  names  appeared  before  the  public. 
The  consequence  has  been  that  I  have  been  obliged  to  give 
sketches  of  some  honourable  gentlemen  who,  on  the  mere  ab- 
stract ground  of  talent,  were  not  so  much  entitled  to  a  notice 
as  many  others  whose  names  scarcely  ever  meet  the  public 
eye.  There  are  many  members  in  the  house  who  are  known 
to  those  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  them,  to  be  men  of  exten- 
sive information  and  distinguished  abilities,  who  never  open 
their  mouths  at  all.  I  could  mention  the  names  of  many  such 
individuals,  but  am  prevented  from  doing  so  lest  I  should 
thereby  be  unintentionally  unjust  to  others,  who,  although 
unknown  to  me,  possess  equal  claims  to  be  so  singled  out. 
There  are  other  members,  again,  of  very  great  abilities  almost 
as  much  unknown  to  Parliamentary  fame,  who  deliver  one 
speech,  perhaps,  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  Sessions.  I 
cannot  forbear  to  mention  the  name  of  Mr.  Charles  Russell, 
member  for  Reading,  as  an  instance  of  this.  Mr.  Russell  is 
a  liberal  Tory,  and  has  sat  for  the  above  borough  since  1830; 
but  he  has  spoken  so  very  seldom  as  to  be  almost  entirely  un- 
known to  the  public.  Towards  the  close  of  last  Session,  how- 
ever, he  made  a  speech  in  opposition  to  Mr.  Grote's  motion 
for  the  Vote  by  Ballot,  which  was  allowed  on  all  hands  to  be 
one  of  the  ablest,  if  not  the  very  ablest,  ever  delivered  on  that 
side  of  the  question.  It  lasted  for  about  an  hour,  and  was 
certainly  one  of  the  most  closely  and  ably  reasoned  speeches 
1  ever  heard  in  the  house.  The  manner  of  delivery,  however, 
was  very  much  against  it.  Mr.  Russell  had  evidently  care- 
fully studied  it  before-hand,  and  that  circumstance  concurred 
with  a  natural  habit  to  speaking  rapidly,  to  make  him  hurry 
'through  it  in  that  monotonous  and  mechanical  way  in  which 
school-boys  repeat  the  tasks  they  have  committed  to  memory. 
His  voice,  too,  is  weak,  and  therefore  he  was  but  imperfectly 
heard  in  the  more  distant  parts  of  the  house.  Had  the  speech 
17* 


200  CONCLUDING  REMARKS. 

been  delivered  by  Sir  Robert  Peel,  or  any  other  first-rate 
speaker,  it  would  have  electrified  the  auditors. 

I  have  often  been  struck  with  the  number  of  members  who 
have  shone  on  the  hustings,  and  at  public  meetings,  who  have 
completely  failed  in  the  house.  The  cause  of  this  is  some- 
times to  be  found  in  the  members  themselves,  sometimes  in 
the  house,  but  more  frequently  in  both.  The  confidence 
which  sustains  public  speakers  when  addressing  a  mixed  mul- 
titude, often  forsakes  them  in  their  maiden  efforts  in  the  house, 
and  there  is  consequently  a  corresponding  inferiority  in  the 
quality  of  their  matter — if  the  speech  be  not  previously  pre- 
pared— and  proportionate  deduction  from  the  excellence  of  the 
delivery.  No  one  but  those  who  have  experienced  it  can 
form  any  idea  of  the  paralyzing  effect  produced,  both  on  the 
matter  and  manner  of  the  speaker,  when,  instead  of  having 
his  almost  every  sentence  greeted  with  the  deafening  plaudits 
of  a  mixed  assembly,  he  is  not  only  heard  without  a  murmur 
of  applause,  but  perhaps  with  the  most  marked  indifference 
and  inattention.  A  new  member  who  meets  with  a  cold  re- 
ception when  making  his  first  speech  in  the  house,  especially 
if  previously  popular  with  promiscuous  assemblages  of  people, 
is  usually  so  mortified,  disappointed,  and  disheartened,  that  he 
either  never  makes  another  experiment  of  the  kind,  or  if  he 
do,  the  chances  are  ten  to  one  he  will  be  so  disconcerted  by 
the  recollection  of  his  former  failure,  as  to  meet  with  no  better 
success  on  his  second  effort.  There  are  many  new  members, 
who  make  an  unsuccessful  debtit, — as  I  have  already  men- 
tioned when  speaking  of  Mr.  Serjeant  Talfourd's  failure, — 
simply  from  ignorance  of  the  best  time  to  address  the  house. 
Unless  the  person  have  a  very  high  out-of-doors  reputation, 
indeed,  for  his  oratorical  acquirements,  he  is  sure  to  have  a 
listless  unwilling  audience  if  he  speak  between  the  hours  of 
five  and  nine  o'clock,  when  a  question  of  importance  is  before 
the-  house.  Not  only,  as  observed  in  a  previous  chapter,  is  no 
good  speaker,  or  member  of  talent,  expected  to  address  the 
house  in  that  interval  of  time,  but  the  constant  bustle  and 
noise  occasioned  by  the  ingress  and  egress  of  members,  are 
most  unfavourable  to  oratorical  effect. 

I  know  there  are  many  new  members  who  are  aware,  that 
to  address  the  house  at  an  early  hour  when  any  question  of 
importance  ia  under  discussion,  is  sure  to  operate  against 
them ;  but  then  they  are  equally  aware  that  there  is  very 
little  chance  of  catching  the  eye  of  the  Speaker  at  a  later 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS.  201 

hour,  the  most  distinguished  men  in  the  house  being,  in  almost 
every  instance,  previously  fixed  on  in  the  Speaker's  mind,  for 
addressing  the  house  after  nine  or  ten  o'clock.  The  best 
course  for  new  members  to  adopt,  who  are  qualified,  or  con- 
ceive themselves  to  be  so,  for  making  an  appearance,  as  it  is 
called,  in  the  house,  would  be  to  give  notice  of  a  motion  for  a 
particular  evening  on  some  question  of  general  importance. 
They  would,  in  that  case,  make  their  debftt  under  every  ad- 
vantage. Those  anxious  to  see  how  they  would  acquit  them- 
selves on  their  first  effort,  would  be  present,  and  be  attentive 
listeners,  which  would  go  far  to  insure  the  attention  of  others. 
The  debutant  would  be  allowed  to  speak  as  long  as  he  pleased, 
and  would  be  certain  of  meeting  with  no  clamour  or  inter- 
ruption ;  for  I  hardly  recollect  one  instance — with  the  single 
exception  of  the  case  of  Mr.  Hunt,  when  he  brought  forward 
a  motion  which  had  folly  on  the  face  of  it,  respecting  the  pro- 
priety of  granting  a  general  pardon  to  those  who  had  been 
convicted  by  the  Special  Commission  of  that  period,  and  which 
he  prefaced  by  a  speech  extending  to  so  unreasonable  a  length 
as  to  occupy  four  hours  in  the  delivery,* — with  this  exception, 
I  scarcely  recollect  an  instance  of  any  attempt  to  put  down  a 
speaker  when  introducing  a  motion  to  the  house.  Then, 
again,  new  members  have,  in  this  case,  the  right  of  reply, 
which  affords  an  excellent  opportunity  to  those  who  have 
talents  for  extempore  speaking,  of  displaying  those  talejits  to 
advantage. 

Every  one  acquainted  with  the  house,  must  have  been 
struck  with  the  great  addition  to  the  number  of  religious 
members,  which  has  been  within  the  last  few  years.  This 
fact  has  been  conclusively  shown  in  the  reception  which  late 
Bills  for  the  better  observance  of  the  Sabbath  have  met  with, 
compared  with  the  way  in  which  those  formerly  introduced 
were  treated.  Sir  Andrew  Agnew's  first  Sabbath  Bill,  four 
years  ago,  was  lost,  on  the  second  reading  by  a  majority  of 
two  to  one.  In  1834,  Mr.  Poulter's  Sabbath  Bill  was  read  a 
second  time  by  a  small  majority,  though  lost  in  the  third 
reading.  The  second  reading  of  the  Sabbath  Bill  of  the  same 
gentleman  introduced  last  Session,  was  carried  by  a  conside- 
rable majority,  with  reference  to  the  numbers  in  the  house  at 
the  time,  though  lost  in  an  after-stage  by  a  small  majority.  I 


*  This  motion  was  negatived  by  a  majority  of  209  to  2. 


'•202  CONCLUDING  REMARKS. 

am  aware  thorp  aro  several  Members  who  voted  for  the  Sab- 
kit  h  Bills  of  Mr.  Poulter,  who  would  not  have  voted  for  those 
of  Sir  Andrew  Agnow,  the  latter  being  of  a  much  more 
sweeping  character  than  the  former ;  but  from  a  calculation  I 
have  made,  I  am  satisfied  Sir  Andrew  Agnew's  minority, 
were  he  to  re-introduce  either  of  his  former  Sabbath  Bills 
into  the  house,  would  be  a  third  larger  than  on  any  former 
occasion.  So  great  was  the  increase  in  the  number  of  the 
supporters  of  his  Bill,  or  of  those  in  favour  of  the  principle  of 
the  measure,  last  year,  that  the  second  reading  was  lost  by  a 
majority  of  only  36,  the  number  being,  for  the  second  reading, 
125;  against  it,  101. 

It  must  often  have  been  remarked  by  my  readers  that  cer- 
tain honourable  members  now  and  then  emerge,  by  means  of 
some  accidental  occurrence,  from  obscurity,  and  in  a  day  or 
two  fall  back  again  into  as  great  oblivion  as  ever.  Mr.  Hume 
has  been  the  means  made  use  of  by  several  honourable  mem- 
bers for  bringing  themselves  into  this  temporary  notice.  He 
is  known  to  be  a  man  of  a  remarkably  peaceable  disposition, 
and  not  likely  either  to  give  or  accept  a  challenge.  In  the 
course  of  last  Session,  there  were  two  memorable  instances  of 
members  emerging  for  a  few  days  from  obscurity  through 
means  of  attacks  on  Mr.  Hume.  The  first  was  Mr.  Charlton, 
the  member  for  Ludlow,  whose  name  hardly  ever  before  met 
the  public  eye.  Mr.  Hume,  or  he,  I  do  not  recollect  which, 
was  addressing  a  few  remarks  to  the  house  in  the  midst  of 
considerable  noise,  when  the  other  dissenting  from  some  par- 
ticular expression,  the  party  speaking  said,  with  much  tart- 
ness of  manner,  "  Hold  your  tongue,  Sir !"  The  other  re- 
torted, "  You  are  an  impudent  fellow."  So  at  least  the  latter 
thought  and  said.  Mr.  Charlton  that  night  penned  a  chal- 
lenge to  Mr.  Hume,  which  the  latter  received  the  next  morn- 
ing. Mr.  Hume  immediately  on  the  house  meeting  brought 
the  subject  before  it  as  a  breach  of  privilege,  dwelling  in  a 
most  pathetic  strain  on  the  fact  of  his  having  received  the 
hostile  billet  just  as  he  was  in  the  act  of  sitting  down  to 
breakfast,  and  which  proved  fatal  to  an  appetite,  the  excel- 
lence and  keenness  of  which,  but  a  moment  before,  had  never 
been  exceeded.  A  discussion  of  some  length  followed ;  and 
Mr.  Charlton  was  attacked  in  the  Morning  Chronicle  and 
other  Liberal  papers  of  the  following  day.  Tins  gave  him  an 
opportunity  of  replying  in  those  papers;  so  that,  for  a  few 
days,  hia  name  met  every  body's  eye,  and  was  in  every  body's 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS.  203 

mouth.  In  a  week  after,  Mr.  Charlton  was  forgotten,  and 
has  not  since  been  heard  of.  He  is,  according  to  his  own  re- 
presentation, a  moderate  Reformer. 

On  another  occasion — it  occurredvl  think,  in  the  beginning 
of  July  last — honourable  members  were  much  amused  at  the 
way  in  which  Mr.  Kearsley,  member  for  Wigan,  brought 
himself  into  temporary  notice  by  attacking  Mr.  Hume.  The 
house  was  in  a  Committee  of  Supply  at  the  time,  and  the 
member  for  Middlesex  was,  as  is  usual  on  such  occasions, 
making  quite  a  field-day  of  it.  He  opposed  almost  every 
grant  of  money  that  was  that  evening  proposed  for  the  public 
service.  While  opposing  one  of  these  grants, 

Mr.  Kearsley  rose  and  addressed  the  Chairman  as  follows, 
looking,  however,  not  at  him,  but  at  Mr.  Hume  in  the  face: — 
"  Mr.  Bernal:  It  has  often  been  said  in  this  house  and  else- 
where, that  the  honourable  member  for  Middlesex  has  been 
very  useful  to  the  country  by  checking  the  extravagant  ex- 
penditure of  Ministers.  But  after  what  I  have  just  seen  with 
my  own  eyes,  I  put  down  his  conduct  as  perfect  humbug. 
(Roars  of  laughter  with  some  cries  of  hear!  hear!)  Yes,  and 
I  pronounce  the  honourable  member  himself,  to  be  a  complete 
humbug.  (Renewed  bursts  of  laughter,  with  cries  of  order, 
order !  from  a  few  voices.)  I  do  not  mean  any  personal  un- 
kindness  to  the  honourable  member,  but  I  must  say,  that  when 
a  vote  was  put  to  the  house  for  granting  some  secret  service 
money, — it  was  thirty  something  (loud  laughter)  £30,000 
odd,  I  believe, — I  saw  an  honourable  gentleman  connected 
with  the  noble  Lord  (Lord  John  Russell)  opposite,  go  up  to 
him,  and  give  him  a  check  for  coming  forward  (loud  laughter 
mingled  with  cheers  from  the  Conservative  side  of  the  house), 
— I  saw,  it,  Sir,  (laughter) — yes,  Sir,  with  my  own  eyes  I 
saw  it,  (renewed  laughter  from  all  parts  of  the  house).  It's  a 
perfect  humbug,  Sir;  a  complete  humbug,  Sir,  and  nothing 
else  (hear,  hear!  and  roars  of  laughter). 

Mr.  Kearsley,  who  is  a  short,  thick-set,  and  remarkable 
good-natured  man,  delivered  these  observations  with  an  em- 
phasis and  peculiarity  of  manner,  staring  Mr.  Hume — who 
was  directly  opposite  him — all  the  while  in  the  face,  that  had 
the  celebrated  weeping  philosopher  of  antiquity  himself  been 
present,  he  could  not  have  refrained  from  joining  in  the  uni- 
versal laughter. 

Mr.  Hume  replied  to  the  charge  of  being  "  a  humbug"  "  a 
complete  humbug,"  "a  perfect  humbug" — as  follows: — "  I  am 


204  CONCLUDING  REMARKS. 

afraid  that  the  honourable  member's  optics  are  not  in  the  best 
possible  state  to-night.  (Great  laughter.)  I  think  the  honour- 
able member  sees  double.  (Continued  laughter.)  I  certainly 
did  protest  against  voting  £30,000  secret-service  money  ;  but 
I  am  glad  we  have  reduced  the  grant  so  low,  for  we  formerly 
voted  j£60,000  and  upwards  for  the  same  purpose.  As  to  the 
honourable  gentleman's  charge  against  me,  I  tell  him  that  no 
person  whatever  spoke  to  me  on  the  subject.  No  man  has 
ever  attempted  to  control  or  check  me  in  my  public  conduct. 
I  will  be  controlled  by  no  man — and  least  of  all  shall  the 
honourable  member  control  me." 

Mr.  Kearsley,  on  this,  leaped  to  his  feet,  or,  as  the  Times 
of  the  following  morning  had  it,  "  started  up  with  great  ani- 
mation," and  looking  Mr.  Hume  steadily  and  very  significant- 
ly in  the  face,  gave  vent  to  the  emotions  which  agitated  his 
bosom,  as  follows : — "  And  I  tell  the  honourable  member  for 
Middlesex,  in  return,  that  of  all  men  he  is  not  the  person 
whom  I  shall  suffer  to  control  me.  If  I  have  any  infirmity  of 
sight,  and  cannot  see,  it  is  not  very  civil  on  the  part  of  the 
honourable  member  to  tell  me  of  it.  (Laughter.)  It's  not 
what  I  call  politeness.  (Order,  order!  and  renewed  laughter.) 
I  tell  the  honourable  gentleman,  that  if  my  sight  is  not  so 
good  as  it  ought  to  be,  neither  is  his  head  so  good  as  it  ought 
to  be.  (Loud  laughter,  and  cheers  from  the  Opposition.)  I 
tell  him  that  I  can  see  to  count  up  the  "  tottel*  of  the  whole" 
as  well  as  he  can.  (A  loud  and  universal  roar  of  laughter 
followed  this.)  No,  I'll  not  be  put  down  by  the  honourable 
member  for  Middlesex.  (Cries  of  order,  order !)  No,  nor  will 
I  be  put  down  by  any  man  who  supports  him,  whether  he  be 
on  the  honourable  member's  right  hand  or  left  hand.  (Loud 
laughter,  with  cries  of  order!)  The  eyes  of  the  country  are 
upon  us,  and  they'll  soon  judge  which  of  us  is  right,  and 
which  of  us  is  wrong — who's  a  humbug,  and  who  is  not.  (Re- 
newed bursts  of  laughter.) 

Mr.  Hume,  whom  it  is  impossible  to  put  out  of  temper,  said 
by  way  of  rejoinder: — "  I  beg  the  honourable  member  not  to 
mistake  me ;  I  did  not  say  anything  about  the  infirmity  of  his 
eyes.  I  did  not  accuse  him  of  not  seeing;  I  only  accused 
him  of  seeing  too  much."  (Loud  laughter.) 


*  This  is  a  common  expression  of  Mr.  Hume's ;  the  word  total 
being  always  pronounced  with  a  broad  Scotch  accent  "  tottel." 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS.  205 

Mr.  Kearsley,  who  seemed  by  this  time  to  have  recovered 
his  usual  composure  and  good-nature,  said  in  reference  to 
this: — "The  honourable  member  is  out  of  his  reckoning 
again."  (Laughter.) 

The  matter  then  dropped,  but  the  account  of  the  harmless 
interchange  of  wit  between  Mr.  Kearsley  and  Mr.  Hume, 
occupied  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  newspapers  of  the  follow- 
ing morning,  and  went  the  round  of  the  provincial  journals, 
accompanied  in  some  instances  with  a  "  word  of  comment." 
Mr.  Kearsley's  name  was  consequently  for  eight  or  ten  days 
kept  constantly  before  the  public  eye.  He  then,  like  Mr. 
Charlton,  fell  back  again  into  his  obscurity,  and  nothing  more 
has  since  been  heard  of  him. 

The  practice  of  seeing  double  in  the  house,  after  a  certain 
hour,  is  not  new.  It  was  quite  common  as  far  back  as  the 
days  of  Pitt  and  Dundas.  They  were  in  the  habit  of  dia- 
loguing each  other  after  having  dined  together,  as  follows: — 

PITT. — "  I  can't  see  the  Speaker,  Hal ;  can  you  ?'T 
DUNDAS. — "Not  see  the  Speaker,  Billy  ! — I  see  two!" 

It  is  often  amusing  to  witness  the  undue  importance  which 
some  honourable  members  attach  to  particular  measures,  while 
others  of  incomparably  greater  moment,  seem  scarcely  to  excite 
the  least  attention  in  their  minds.  One  very  striking  illus- 
tration of  this  occurred  towards  the  close  of  last  session.  Mr. 
Freshfield,  the  member  for  Penryn,  and  a  barrister  by  profes- 
sion, conceived  the  most  inveterate  dislike  to  Sir  John  Camp- 
bell's bill  for  the  Abolition  of  Imprisonment  for  Debt,  and  that 
dislike  he  took  every  opportunity  of  evincing.  He  opposed 
the  bill  most  strenuously  in  its  every  stage  through  the 
house.  Even  after  it  had  gone  through  Committee,  and  was 
fixed  for  a  third  reading,  he  opposed  it  (though  such  a  course 
is  most  unusual)  as  vehemently  as  ever.  The  third  reading 
was  appointed  for  a  Saturday,  and  though  there  were  not 
above  fifteen  or  twenty  members  in  the  house,  and  only  one 
or  two,  as  far  as  I  could  learn,  opposed  to  the  measure,  he 
spoke,  and  certainly  with  considerable  ability,  more  than  an 
hour  in  opposition  to  it.  If  its  certain  effect  had  been  to 
plunge  the  country  into  an  immediate  and  universal  revolution, 
he  could  not  have  dwelt  more  earnestly  on  the  evils  with 
which,  as  he  alleged,  it  was  fraught.  He  denounced  not  only 
Sir  John  Campbell  himself,  but  all  those  who  sanctioned  the 
18 


206  CONCLUDING  REMARKS. 

measure,  as  committing  an  offence  against  the  well-being  of 
the  country  and  society  of  the  most  enormous  magnitude.  In 
short,  I  never  knew  a  man  feel  more  strongly  on  any  subject. 

I  have  known  many  instances  of  members  who  had  been 
silent  during  the  whole  of  a  long  parliamentary  career,  hav- 
ing their  mouths  opened,  as  they  say  when  licensing  a  cler- 
gyman in  Scotland  to  preach,  by  some  measure  which  imme- 
diately affected  themselves  personally  or  their  constituents. 
One  instance  of  this  occurred  in  the  case  of  the  right  honour- 
able Colonel  Francis  Grant,  of  Grant,  member  for  the  united 
counties  of  Moray  and  Nairn,  and  a  gentleman  of  great  pri- 
vate worth.  The  gallant  Colonel  has  been  in  Parliament 
nearly  thirty  years,  but  never,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  attempt- 
ed to  utter  a  word  in  it,  until,  in  the  year  1832,  the  house, 
when  in  Committee  on  the  Scotch  Reform  Bill,  came  to  that 
clause  which  proposed  a  junction  between  the  counties  of 
Moray  and  Nairn  in  the  return  of  a  representative  to  Parlia- 
ment. The  gallant  Colonel  was  not  only  strenuously  opposed 
to  such  union  individually,  but  the  thing  was  most  unpopular  in 
the  county  he  represented,  and  his  constituents  urged  him  to 
offer  every  opposition  to  it  in  his  power.  He  accordingly 
made  a  speech  of  some  lengtfi  and  much  ability  against  it. 
The  speech  was  greatly  admired  by  those  who  heard  it,  as  it 
afterwards  was  by  those  who  read  it  in  the  Mirror  of  Par- 
liament. The  gallant  Colonel,  who  is  of  a  retiring  and  diffi- 
dent disposition,  has  not  spoken  in  the  house  since  then ;  at 
least,  not  to  the  best  of  my  recollection. 

Mr.  BISH,  the  member  for  Leominster,  of  "  Lucky  Corner'* 
and  £30,000  prizes  celebrity,  could  never  be  prevailed  on  to 
open  his  mouth  in  the  house,  except  on  two  subjects.  The 
one  was  always  brought  forward  by  himself, — I  refer  to  his 
singular  annual  motion,  for  some  years  past,  for  Parliament 
sitting  once  every  three  years  in  Dublin.  The  other  subject  I 
allude  to  is  that  of  Government  Lotteries.  If  any  other 
honourable  member  ever  mentioned  this  subject,  up  started 
Mr.  Bish  the  moment  he  sat  down,  and  descanted  on  the  in- 
finite benefit  of  which  such  lotteries  were  productive  to  the 
country.  He  was  sure  on  all  such  occasions,  stoutly  to  main- 
tain, that  Government  lotteries  were  the  very  life  and  soul  of 
the  country — that  to  sanction  them  was  the  most  striking 
proof  of  enlightened  legislation  which  ever  any  senate  ex- 
hibited to  the  world — and  that  to  do  away  with  them  was 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS.  207 

"demonstration  strong"  of  our  rapid  retrogression  towards 
barbarism. 

Schedule  A  in  the  Reform  Bill,  which  destroyed  so  many 
close  boroughs,  worked  miracles  in  the  way  of  causing  dumb 
legislators  to  speak.  The  zeal  which  many  of  the  represen- 
tatives of  these  boroughs,  who  felt  a  presentiment,  that,  with 
their  extinction  would  close  their  own  legislative  career, 
evinced,  when  the  clauses  proposing  their  annihilation,  were 
read,  exceeded  anything  I  ever  witnessed.  The  representa- 
tives of  these  places  dwelt  on  the  irreparable  injury  the  House 
was  therein  doing  to  the  Constitution,  with  an  energy  and 
animation  which  surprised  all  who  heard  them. 


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